Honorable John Zerwas, Chair, House Committee on Appropriations
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2802 by Darby (Relating to the amounts, availability, and use of certain statutorily dedicated revenue and accounts; reducing or affecting the amounts of certain statutorily dedicated fees.), As Introduced
The costs associated with the bill are indeterminate and dependent upon whether or not the State Commission on Emergency Communications reduces the 9-11 emergency services fee for wireless communications and the amount of the fee reduction.
The bill would also result in a reduction of $777,580,000 in amounts available for certification of the 2020-21 General Appropriations Act, associated with the exemption of certain General Revenue-Dedicated account balances from being available for that purpose.
The bill would amend Section 771.0711 of the Health and Safety Code to authorize the Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC) to reduce the 9-1-1 emergency service fee for wireless telecommunications from 50 cents per wireless telecommunications connection to a lesser amount, provided that the reduction does not prevent entities providing 9-1-1 service from receiving sufficient funding. The fiscal impact is dependent upon whether or not CSEC reduces the fee and the amount of the reduction.
The bill would amend Subsections (b) and (d) of Section 403.095 of the Government Code to update references to the 86th Legislature and to August 31, 2021, and add Subsection (e) to provide that the following accounts or funds are not available for certification under Section 403.121: (1) GRD Account 0036-Texas Department of Insurance Operating; (2) GRD Account 0544-Lifetime License Endowment; (3) GRD Account 5044-Permanent Fund for Health and Tobacco Education and Enforcement; (4) GRD Account 5045-Permanent Fund for Children and Public Health; (5) GRD Account 5046-Permanent Fund for Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care; (6) GRD Account 5047-Permanent Hospital Fund for Rural Health Facility Capital Improvement; (7) GRD Account 5048-Permanent Hospital Fund for Capital Improvements and the Texas Center for Infectious Disease; (8) GRD Account 5084-Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Operating; (9) GRD Account 5085-Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Trust; and (10) the separate fund account of each institution of higher education in the General Revenue Fund.
The provisions of the bill relating to exempting the balances of certain General Revenue-Dedicated accounts from certification would result in a reduction of $777,580,000 in amounts available for certification of the 2020-21 General Appropriations Act.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.