Red-Light Camera in Balcones Heights (photo)
AP Texas News
State keeping red-light fines that were promised to hospitals
© 2007 The Associated Press
Austin — Money raised by fining red-light runners is being withheld from its intended purpose of funding medical trauma centers because legislative budget writers didn't appropriate money for the program, officials said.
The Legislature this year gave cities permission to use red-light cameras, largely because supporters said half of the fine money would be dedicated to emergency rooms and trauma care centers.
But the money in the red-light fund was not appropriated, meaning it can't be spent. The fund wasn't expected to build up substantially until next summer. "There was no appropriation made for that fund, so whatever's collected will stay in that fund," said R.J. DeSilva, spokesman for the Comptroller's Office.
Dinah Welsh, the Texas Hospital Association's senior director of public policy, said hospitals were disappointed by the decision. "There is an absolute need for these dollars," she said. Budget writers said the state was keeping the funds to cover potential unbudgeted Medicaid costs and for possible use to attract matching federal health care money.
State Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple, who sponsored the red-light bill, said hospitals were counting on the money. Trauma centers are swamped with patients and some communities are losing their emergency rooms, she said.
"The thing that pushed people over to support it was that this money was going to be split and that part of it was going to the trauma system," said Delisi, chairwoman of the Public Health Committee.
It's the second time money targeted for emergency rooms has been kept by the state. In 2003, lawmakers set aside some traffic fines for emergency rooms, but initially kept the fees to supplement the state budget. The state reversed that decision in 2005 and began sending some of the money collected to hospitals.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry said lawmakers should spend the red-light fund for its dedicated purpose. "If we are going to collect the funds to go to trauma centers, they need to go to trauma centers," spokeswoman Allison Castle said. Perry is "willing to work with the legislative leadership to see what we can do about it," Castle said.
To make up for the withheld funding, legislative leaders could transfer appropriated money to trauma centers or make an emergency appropriation at the beginning of the next legislative session in 2009.
Dr. Ron Anderson, president and CEO of Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, said hospitals would use the red-light funds to relieve the burden on taxpayers. "Those of us who helped get these bills passed and worked hard down there, and hoped we would get some relief, it's kind of hard to see these funds not used as intended," he said.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
Editor's Note: Recently Balcones Heights Mayor Jim Craven told a News-4 WOAI Reporter that failure to pay the fine would result in a violators credit being tarnished when in fact, when the Governor signed into law the recent red-light camera bill sponsored by State Rep. Dianne Delisi, the bill stipulated that a violators credit would not be in jeopardy. Balcones Heights has still not released statistics on the number of fines paid to date.
AP Texas News
State keeping red-light fines that were promised to hospitals
© 2007 The Associated Press
Austin — Money raised by fining red-light runners is being withheld from its intended purpose of funding medical trauma centers because legislative budget writers didn't appropriate money for the program, officials said.
The Legislature this year gave cities permission to use red-light cameras, largely because supporters said half of the fine money would be dedicated to emergency rooms and trauma care centers.
But the money in the red-light fund was not appropriated, meaning it can't be spent. The fund wasn't expected to build up substantially until next summer. "There was no appropriation made for that fund, so whatever's collected will stay in that fund," said R.J. DeSilva, spokesman for the Comptroller's Office.
Dinah Welsh, the Texas Hospital Association's senior director of public policy, said hospitals were disappointed by the decision. "There is an absolute need for these dollars," she said. Budget writers said the state was keeping the funds to cover potential unbudgeted Medicaid costs and for possible use to attract matching federal health care money.
State Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple, who sponsored the red-light bill, said hospitals were counting on the money. Trauma centers are swamped with patients and some communities are losing their emergency rooms, she said.
"The thing that pushed people over to support it was that this money was going to be split and that part of it was going to the trauma system," said Delisi, chairwoman of the Public Health Committee.
It's the second time money targeted for emergency rooms has been kept by the state. In 2003, lawmakers set aside some traffic fines for emergency rooms, but initially kept the fees to supplement the state budget. The state reversed that decision in 2005 and began sending some of the money collected to hospitals.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry said lawmakers should spend the red-light fund for its dedicated purpose. "If we are going to collect the funds to go to trauma centers, they need to go to trauma centers," spokeswoman Allison Castle said. Perry is "willing to work with the legislative leadership to see what we can do about it," Castle said.
To make up for the withheld funding, legislative leaders could transfer appropriated money to trauma centers or make an emergency appropriation at the beginning of the next legislative session in 2009.
Dr. Ron Anderson, president and CEO of Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, said hospitals would use the red-light funds to relieve the burden on taxpayers. "Those of us who helped get these bills passed and worked hard down there, and hoped we would get some relief, it's kind of hard to see these funds not used as intended," he said.
___
Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
Editor's Note: Recently Balcones Heights Mayor Jim Craven told a News-4 WOAI Reporter that failure to pay the fine would result in a violators credit being tarnished when in fact, when the Governor signed into law the recent red-light camera bill sponsored by State Rep. Dianne Delisi, the bill stipulated that a violators credit would not be in jeopardy. Balcones Heights has still not released statistics on the number of fines paid to date.
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