Honorable Gary VanDeaver, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB4454 by Vo (Relating to solicitation of patients and other prohibited marketing practices and the establishment of the task force on patient solicitation; increasing criminal penalties.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
It is assumed that any costs to the Health and Human Services Commission, Office of the Attorney General, and the state court system associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.
It is assumed that any impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources would not be significant.
The bill would increase the penalties and expand the conduct constituting offenses relating to the solicitation of patients and to the failure of disclosure by including that a person may not exchange any benefits or commissions directly or indirectly to secure or solicit a patient or patronage of certain persons. According to information provided by the Comptroller of Public Accounts, while increasing criminal penalties for certain offenses as required by the bill may result in an increase in revenue due to associated court costs, the extent to which state revenue would be impacted cannot be determined.
Local Government Impact
It is assumed that any fiscal impact to units of local government associated with enforcement, prosecution, supervision, or confinement would not be significant.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 302 Office of the Attorney General, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 529 Health and Human Services Commission