HBA-NLM, ATS C.S.S.B. 204 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 204 By: Carona (Allen) County Affairs 3/15/1999 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE State law authorizes a county sheriff, a deputy sheriff, or a juvenile probation officer who is transporting a state prisoner to participate in the General Services Commission's (commission) contract for travel services for purposes of obtaining reduced airline fares. C.S.S.B. 204 expands the list of officials authorized to receive reduced airline fares as participants in the commission's contract by including any county officer or employee who is engaged in official county business. This bill also requires the commission to deposit the fees collected under this subsection to the credit of the county airline fares account, and establishes that the county airline fares account is an account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the purposes of this chapter. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority previously delegated to the General Services Commission is modified in SECTION 1 (Section 2171.055, Government Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subsection (e), Section 2171.055, Government Code, to include a county officer or employee who engages in official county business as a person who is authorized to participate in the General Services Commission's (commission) contract for travel services to obtain reduced airline fares. Requires the commission to deposit the fees collected under this subsection to the credit of the county airline fares account. Establishes that the county airline fares account is an account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the purposes of this chapter. Requires the commission to adopt rules and make or amend existing contracts as necessary to administer the provisions of this subsection. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.S.B. 204 modifies the original in SECTION 1 by including a provision in Subsection (e) to require the commission to deposit the fees collected under this subsection to the credit of the county airline fares account. C.S.S.B. 204 also establishes that the county airline fares account is an account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the purposes of this chapter.