HBA-CMT H.B. 1619 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1619 By: Jones, Jesse County Affairs 3/11/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The use of credit cards for small purchases is widely used in industry and government as a means of increasing efficiency and cost savings by decentralizing small purchase activity. House Bill 1619 permits county governments to establish a credit card purchasing program. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 1619 amends the Local Government Code to authorize the commissioners court of a county to contract with one or more credit card issuers for the county purchasing agent or a person authorized by the county purchasing agent to use credit cards to pay for county purchases. The commissioners court is authorized to adopt rules relating to the use of credit cards to pay for county purchases that will require an expenditure of less than $25,000. A person who is authorized by the county purchasing agent to use a credit card while making a county purchase is considered an assistant of the county purchasing agent. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.