Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB4180 by Coleman ( Relating to issues affecting counties and certain other governmental entities and residents.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code by adding a chapter to establish a health care provider participation program for certain counties that have a population more than 75,000, are not served by a hospital district or a public hospital, and borders or includes a portion of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The health care provider participation program would authorize a county to collect mandatory payments from nonpublic hospitals that provide inpatient hospital services. These payments would be deposited into a local provider participation fund to fund intergovernmental transfers and subsidize indigent care programs. Intergovernmental transfers would be used by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) as the nonfederal share to draw down Medicaid supplemental payments including payments to the Medicaid managed care program that are dedicated for payment to hospitals. The bill specifies that if a state agency determines that a waiver from a federal agency is necessary, the agency shall request the waiver and delay implementation until such waiver is received.
The nonfederal share of Texas Medicaid supplemental payments is provided largely by local public funds provided to HHSC by intergovernmental transfer. The bill's amendments do not contain any implications for state General Revenue funds. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there would be no significant fiscal impact to the agency resulting from implementation of the bill.
According to the Health and Human Services Commission, the agency has an oversight role in this process and would absorb any administrative costs within existing resources.
The bill would amend the Local Government Code to establish that a county judge in a meeting conducted by videoconference is the presiding officer of a commissioners court only when the county judge is located at the physical space made available to the public for the meeting.
The Office of Court Administration indicates that no significant fiscal implication to the state is anticipated from the bill.
The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code to modify the composition and eligibility of certain emergency services commissions that serve multiple counties. Exempts certain counties from certain election requirements of emergency service commissions that serve multiple counties. Validates, ratifies, and confirms the acts and proceedings of certain emergency services districts.
The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all each house. If the bill does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect it would take effect September 1, 2017.
Local Government Impact
According to Angelina County, the provisions of the bill relating to indigent care programs would have a minimal fiscal impact on the county. While certain administrative costs in the billing, collecting, accounting and disbursement of the funds would be incurred these are specifically allowed for reimbursement in the text of the bill.
According to the Texas Association of Counties, the fiscal impact from the provisions of the bill relating to videoconferencing by county judges would not be significant. The Office of Court Administration indicates that no significant fiscal implication to local courts is anticipated.
Because the provisions of the bill relating to certain emergency service commissions would not have statewide impact on units of local government of the same type or class, no comment from this office is required by the rules of the House/Senate as to its probable fiscal implication on units of local government.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 529 Health and Human Services Commission