HBA-DMH C.S.H.B. 1612 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1612
By: Goolsby
Licensing & Administrative Procedures
4/25/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) permit application
fees are required to be paid to the state in the form of a cashier's check
or money order. For TABC to move forward in e-commerce or other types of
actions involving the Internet, it is important for TABC to be able to
offer convenient forms of payment, including electronic payments.  C.S.H.B.
1612 includes additional forms of payment among the types of acceptable
payments for permit application fees, and allows TABC to set a reasonable
fee for processing such payments. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
in SECTION 1 (Section 11.35, Alcoholic Beverage Code) of this bill. 

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1612 amends the Alcoholic Beverage Code to include a teller's
check, a check drawn on the account of a corporation applying for a permit,
or payment by credit card, charge card, or other electronic form of payment
that is approved by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) rule as an
acceptable form of payment for a permit application.  The bill authorizes
TABC to set a reasonable processing fee to recover expenses incurred by
TABC in processing the electronic payment. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1612 differs from the original bill by adding a teller's check, a
check drawn on the account of a corporation applying for a permit, payment
by credit card, and payment by charge card to the acceptable forms of
payment for a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission permit application fee.