HBA-TYH H.B. 1016 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1016
By: Maxey
State Affairs
2/19/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently,  upon completion of new reports, state agencies are often
required to send paper copies of the reports to each member of the
legislature.  While this system has ensured that legislators are provided
with thorough information, it has also involved unnecessary expenditure of
human and physical resources.  Reports covering issues that an individual
legislator does not encounter in his or her official capacity may simply be
thrown away or recycled soon after receipt.  H.B. 1016 authorizes state
agencies to first make reports available to the legislature through the
Internet and then send paper copies to members only upon request. 

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. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 2052, Government Code, by adding
Section 2052.0021, as follows: 

Sec. 2052.0021.  DISTRIBUTION OF REPORTS TO LEGISLATORS.  (a)  Defines
"state agency" as having the meaning assigned by Section 2052.002
(Distribution of Publications to Legislators).  

(b)  Provides that a state agency report required by law may be made
available to members of the legislature only in accordance with this
section.  
 
(c)  Requires a state agency to make each report required by law available
to members of the legislature in an electronic format determined by the
Texas Legislative Council. Requires the agency to promptly send a suitable
printed copy of the report to a member of the legislature at the request of
the member.  

(d)  Requires the agency to send written notice regarding the availability
of the report to each member of the legislature when a report required by
law is ready for distribution outside the state agency.  Requires the
agency to send the notice by mail or, if acceptable to the member,
electronically.  Provides that the notice must briefly describe the subject
matter of the report and state the manner in which the member may obtain
the report electronically and that the agency will send a printed copy of
the report to the member at the request of the member. 
 
(e)  Provides that this section does not affect the duty of a state agency
to directly send a printed copy of a report to an officer or committee of
the legislature if other law specifically requires that the report be sent
to that officer or committee, and that the agency is not required to comply
with this section before sending the report to that officer or committee.  

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.