| 1 | 1 | | By: Miles S.B. No. 2860 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to the emergency service fee collected by a wireless |
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| 9 | 9 | | service provider |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 771.0711, Health and Safety, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | by amending Subsections (a), (b), and (c) and adding subsections |
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| 13 | 13 | | (c-1), (c-2), and (c-3) to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a) To provide for automatic number identification an |
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| 15 | 15 | | automatic location identification of wireless 9-1-1 calls and to |
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| 16 | 16 | | support the deployment and reliable operation of next generation |
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| 17 | 17 | | 9-1-1 service, the commission shall impose on each wireless |
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| 18 | 18 | | telecommunications connection a 9-1-1 emergency service fee. A |
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| 19 | 19 | | political subdivision may not impose another fee on a wireless |
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| 20 | 20 | | service provider or subscriber for 9-1-1 emergency service. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) A wireless service provider shall collect the fee in an |
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| 22 | 22 | | amount equal to 50 cents a month with an adjustment on January 1 of |
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| 23 | 23 | | each odd numbered year of not more than one half of the actual total |
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| 24 | 24 | | percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban |
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| 25 | 25 | | Consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics |
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| 26 | 26 | | of the United States Department of Labor, from the effective date |
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| 27 | 27 | | of this subsection for each wireless telecommunications connection |
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| 28 | 28 | | from its subscribers and shall pay the money collected to the |
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| 29 | 29 | | comptroller not later than the 30th say after the last day of the |
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| 30 | 30 | | month during which the fees were collected. The comptroller may |
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| 31 | 31 | | establish alternative dates for payment of fees under this section. |
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| 32 | 32 | | The wireless service provider may retain an administrative fee of |
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| 33 | 33 | | one percent of the amount collected. The comptroller shall deposit |
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| 34 | 34 | | the money from the dees to the credit of the 9-1-1 services fee |
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| 35 | 35 | | account. Until deposited to the credit of the 9-1-1 services fee |
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| 36 | 36 | | account as required by Subsection (c), money the comptroller |
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| 37 | 37 | | collects under this subsection remains in a trust fund in the state |
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| 38 | 38 | | treasury. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (c) Money collected under Subsection (b) may be used only: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (1) for services related to 9-1-1 services, including |
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| 41 | 41 | | automatic number identification and automatic location information |
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| 42 | 42 | | services; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) to support the deployment and reliable operation |
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| 44 | 44 | | of next generation 9-1-1 service;[,] or |
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| 45 | 45 | | (3) as authorized by Section 771.079(c). |
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| 46 | 46 | | (c-1) Except as provided by Subsection (c-2), not [Not] later |
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| 47 | 47 | | than the 15th day after the end of the month in which the money is |
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| 48 | 48 | | collected under Subsection (b), the commission shall distribute to |
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| 49 | 49 | | each emergency communication district that does not participate in |
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| 50 | 50 | | the state system a portion of the money that bears the same |
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| 51 | 51 | | proportion to the total amount collected that the population of the |
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| 52 | 52 | | area served by the district bears to the population of the state. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (c-2) For each emergency communication district created |
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| 54 | 54 | | under Chapter 772 entitled to a portion of the money distributed |
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| 55 | 55 | | under Subsection (c-1), the commission shall: |
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| 56 | 56 | | (1) reduce the portion to which the district is |
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| 57 | 57 | | entitled by an amount equal to three percent of the portion and |
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| 58 | 58 | | distribute that amount in equal shares to all the emergency |
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| 59 | 59 | | communication districts created under Chapter 772; and |
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| 60 | 60 | | (2) distribute to the district the remainder of the |
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| 61 | 61 | | portion to which the district is entitled under Subsection (c-1) |
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| 62 | 62 | | that is not distributed under Subdivision (1). |
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| 63 | 63 | | (c-3) The remaining money collected under Subsection (b) |
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| 64 | 64 | | that is not otherwise distributed under Subsection (c-1) or (c-2) |
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| 65 | 65 | | shall be deposited to the 9-1-1 services fee account. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply |
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| 67 | 67 | | beginning with the state fiscal biennium that begins September 1, |
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| 68 | 68 | | 2025. |
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| 69 | 69 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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