Tex. Gov't Code Section 2003.024
Interagency Contracts; Anticipated Hourly Usage and Cost Estimates


(a)

If a state agency referred matters to the office during any of the three most recent state fiscal years for which complete information about the agency’s hourly usage is available and the costs to the office of conducting hearings and alternative dispute resolution procedures for the state agency are not to be paid by appropriations to the office during a state fiscal biennium, the office and the agency shall enter into an interagency contract for the biennium under which the referring agency pays the office either a lump-sum amount at the start of each fiscal year of the biennium or a fixed amount at the start of each fiscal quarter of the biennium for all services provided to the agency during the fiscal year. The office shall report to the Legislative Budget Board any agency that fails to make a timely payment under the contract. The lump-sum or quarterly amount paid to the office under the contract must be based on:

(1)

an hourly rate that is set by the office:

(A)

in an amount that sufficiently covers the office’s full costs in providing services to the agency, including costs for items listed in Subsection (c)(2); and

(B)

in time for the rate to be reviewed by the legislature, as part of the legislature’s review of the office’s legislative appropriations request for the biennium, in determining the office’s legislative appropriations for the biennium; and

(2)

the anticipated hourly usage of the office’s services by the referring agency for each fiscal year of the biennium, as estimated by the office under Subsection (a-1).

(a-1)

Before the beginning of each state fiscal biennium, the office shall estimate for each fiscal year of the biennium the anticipated hourly usage for each state agency that referred matters to the office during any of the three most recent state fiscal years for which complete information about the agency’s hourly usage is available. The office shall estimate an agency’s anticipated hourly usage by evaluating:

(1)

the number of hours spent by the office conducting hearings or alternative dispute resolution procedures for the state agency during the three most recent state fiscal years for which complete information about the agency’s hourly usage is available; and

(2)

any other relevant information, including information provided to the office by the state agency, that suggests an anticipated increase or decrease in the agency’s hourly usage of the office’s services during the state fiscal biennium, as compared to past usage.

(a-2)

The office, for a contract entered into as provided by Subsection (a) under which a quarterly amount is paid by the referring agency to the office, shall:

(1)

track the agency’s actual hourly usage of the office’s services during each fiscal quarter; and

(2)

forecast, after each fiscal quarter, the agency’s anticipated hourly usage for the rest of the fiscal year.

(a-3)

If a state agency did not refer matters to the office during any of the three state fiscal years preceding a state fiscal biennium for which complete information about the agency’s hourly usage would have been available and did not provide information to the office sufficient for the office to reasonably and timely estimate anticipated usage and enter into a contract with the agency before the start of the state fiscal biennium, and the costs to the office of conducting hearings and alternative dispute resolution procedures for the state agency are not paid by appropriations to the office for the state fiscal biennium, the referring agency shall pay the office the costs of conducting hearings or procedures for the agency based on the hourly rate that is set by the office under Subsection (a) and on the agency’s actual usage of the office’s services.

(b)

If the costs to the office of conducting hearings and alternative dispute resolution procedures for a state agency that refers matters to the office are anticipated to be paid by a lump-sum appropriation to the office for a state fiscal biennium, the office shall timely provide to the legislature the information described by Subsection (c).

(c)

Each state fiscal biennium, the office as part of its legislative appropriation request shall file:

(1)

information, as estimated under Subsection (a-1), related to the anticipated hourly usage of each state agency that refers matters to the office for which the costs of hearings and alternative dispute resolution procedures are anticipated to be paid by appropriations to the office; and

(2)

an estimate of its hourly costs in conducting each type of hearing or dispute resolution procedure based on the average cost per hour during the preceding state fiscal year of:

(A)

the salaries of its administrative law judges;

(B)

the travel expenses, hearing costs, and telephone charges directly related to the conduct of a hearing or procedure; and

(C)

the administrative costs of the office, including docketing costs.

(d)

This section does not apply to hearings conducted under the administrative license revocation program.
Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 85, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 2000. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1215, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 228 (H.B. 2154), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 117 (S.B. 1794), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019.

Source: Section 2003.024 — Interagency Contracts; Anticipated Hourly Usage and Cost Estimates, https://statutes.­capitol.­texas.­gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.­2003.­htm#2003.­024 (accessed Jun. 5, 2024).

2003.001
Definitions
2003.021
Office
2003.022
Chief Administrative Law Judge
2003.023
Sunset Provision
2003.024
Interagency Contracts
2003.025
Required Information Regarding Anticipated Hourly Usage
2003.041
Employment of Administrative Law Judges
2003.042
Powers of Administrative Law Judge
2003.043
Temporary Administrative Law Judge
2003.044
Staff
2003.045
Oversight of Administrative Law Judges
2003.046
Central Hearings Panel
2003.047
Hearings for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
2003.049
Utility Hearings
2003.050
Procedural Rules
2003.051
Role of Referring Agency
2003.052
Handling of Complaints
2003.053
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
2003.055
Effective Use of Technology
2003.056
Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy
2003.057
Hearing Translator
2003.101
Tax Hearings
2003.103
Timeliness of Hearings
2003.104
Confidentiality of Tax Hearing Information
2003.108
Pending Case Status Review
2003.109
Rules
2003.0221
Removal of Chief Administrative Law Judge
2003.0225
Conflict of Interest
2003.0226
Information Regarding Requirements for Employment and Standards of Conduct
2003.0411
Senior and Master Administrative Law Judges
2003.0412
Ex Parte Consultations
2003.0421
Sanctions
2003.0451
Training
2003.901
Appeals from Appraisal Review Board Determinations
2003.902
Participating Offices and Remote Hearing Sites
2003.903
Rules
2003.904
Applicability to Real and Personal Property
2003.905
Education and Training of Administrative Law Judges
2003.906
Notice of Appeal to Office
2003.907
Contents of Notice of Appeal
2003.908
Notice to Property Owners
2003.909
Designation of Administrative Law Judge
2003.910
Scope of Appeal
2003.911
Representation of Parties
2003.912
Determination of Administrative Law Judge
2003.913
Payment of Taxes Pending Appeal
2003.914
Effect on Right to Judicial Appeal

Accessed:
Jun. 5, 2024

§ 2003.024’s source at texas​.gov