HBA-CMT, DMH H.B. 893 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 893 By: Hinojosa Transportation 4/18/2001 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 1999, the legislature created the tertiary care account to help reimburse hospitals for some of the $65 million spent on free trauma care for indigent residents in 1997. The tertiary care account may only reimburse hospitals for services delivered to out-of-county residents living below the poverty level that participate in the specified trauma network. Originally the tertiary care account was funded by unclaimed prize money from the Texas Lottery, which averages about $16 million per year. However, the need for funds is not fully met. House Bill 893 creates an additional $1 fee for motor vehicle registration dedicated to the tertiary care account. 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 893 amends the Transportation Code to require that a fee of $1 be collected for trauma centers and tertiary medical services, in addition to the current motor vehicle registration fees for each license plate or set of license plates or other device used as the registration insignia. The bill requires the county assessor-collector to send the additional fee collected to the comptroller of public accounts for deposit in the tertiary care account. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS Committee Amendment No. 1 increases from $1 to $5 the fee that is required to be collected for trauma centers and tertiary medical services in addition to the current motor vehicle registration fees for each license plate or set of license plates or other device used as a registration insignia. The amendment specifies that the day on which the county assessor-collector is to send the additional fee collected to the comptroller of public accounts for deposit in the tertiary care account is the first Monday of every month. The amendment authorizes the county assessor-collector to retain an amount of not more than 10 percent of each fee collected under the bill for administrative costs.