Austin – State Rep. Dianne White Delisi has filed legislation (HB 66) in the current special session that seeks to make available up to $77 million in additional funds to support the state's trauma care system.  The new legislation fixes language in the recently adopted biennial budget (SB 1) that had the impact of creating a large gap between the funds appropriated for the trauma system and the total amount of revenue expected to be collected.


Rep. Delisi has also written to Gov. Rick Perry to ask him to add the trauma funding fix to the current special session call. A Senate companion to Delisi's legislation has been filed as SB 67 by Sen. Jane Nelson.


“Without this legislation up to $77 million may sit in limbo in the trauma facilities and EMS activities fund. These funds will gather dust while our trauma system bleeds from hundreds of millions of dollars in uncompensated care,” said Rep. Delisi. “HB 66 will enable all of the money collected to go to the purpose that the legislature intended when creating this program in 2003: building up Texas' trauma care system to save lives.”


The 2006-07 budget specifically appropriates $31.7 million per year to uncompensated trauma funding from the trauma facilities and EMS activities fund. However, Rider 84 in Article II then makes a contingent appropriation of any funds collected above $59 million in 2006 and $80 million in 2007, pending approval from the Legislative Budget Board and the governor. The difference, some $77 million over the biennium between what was appropriated and the two annual threshold amounts, would accumulate in the account.


The legislation filed by Delisi will clarify that all of the money deposited in the trauma facilities and EMS activities fund above the $31.7 million in the budget will be considered appropriated for that purpose. This will enable these funds to be distributed.


Funding for the trauma system comes from violators of the state's traffic laws through drivers license surcharges and a state traffic fine. The creation of this trauma care funding system was initiated by Rep. Delisi in 2003 and was successfully integrated into the omnibus transportation bill (HB 3588 by Rep. Mike Krusee).


"Texas now has what is considered a national model for funding its trauma care system," Rep. Delisi stated. "Let's not allow millions of dollars to sit idle in this account for the next two years. We are in Austin now and have an opportunity to correct the matter. I urge the governor to add this to the call and for both chambers to speed this bill to his desk."