HBA-SEB H.B. 83 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 83 By: Chavez Economic Development 3/10/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Following the deregulation of pay telephone service, most pay telephone rates rose from 25 to 35 cents per call. Currently, pay telephones do not provide change to a customer who deposits an amount greater than 35 cents. As a result, a customer who deposits 2 quarters loses 15 cents. H.B. 83 requires a provider of pay telephones to equip the provider's pay telephones with a mechanism to provide change to a customer who does not deposit the exact amount of the cost of the call. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter H, Chapter 55, Utilities Code, by adding Section 55.1775, as follows: Sec. 55.1775. Requires a provider of pay telephones to equip the provider's pay telephones so that each telephone will make change for a customer who deposits an amount greater than the cost of the customer's call. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.