HBA-DMD H.B. 2834 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2834
By: Turner, Sylvester
State Affairs
3/26/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, private for-profit publishers of residential telephone
directories are not required to include Internet listings of state
agencies. H.B. 2834 requires a private for-profit publisher of a
residential telephone directory to include any Internet address of an
Internet site maintained by a state agency. This bill provides that the
Public Utility Commission's rules must require a publisher to list Internet
addresses alphabetically by the subject matter of agency programs and
agency name. It also requires the Records Management Interagency
Coordinating Council to categorize state agency programs, state agency
telephone numbers, and Internet addresses of Internet sites maintained by
state agencies by subject matter as well as by agency. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority previously delegated to the Public Utility Commission is modified
in SECTION 1 (Section 55.203, Utilities Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 55.203, Utilities Code, as follows:

Sec. 55.203. DIRECTORY PUBLISHED BY PRIVATE PUBLISHER. Defines "Internet"
in this section. Requires a private for-profit publisher of a residential
telephone directory that is distributed to the public to include in the
directory at minimal or no cost, a listing of any Internet address of an
Internet site maintained by a state agency. Provides that the Public
Utility Commission's (commission) rules must require a publisher to list
Internet addresses alphabetically by the subject matter of agency programs
and agency name. Requires the General Services Commission to cooperate with
the commission and with publishers to ensure that Internet addresses in the
directories are consistent with the categorization developed by the Records
Management Interagency Coordinating Council (council) under Section 441.053
(Records Management Interagency Coordinating Council), Government Code.
Redesignates Subsections (a)-(f) to Subsections (b)-(g), respectively.
Makes conforming changes. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 441.053, Government Code, is amended to read as
follows: 

Sec. 441.053. RECORDS MANAGEMENT INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL.
Requires the council to categorize state agency programs, state agency
telephone numbers, and Internet addresses of Internet sites maintained by
state agencies by subject matter as well as by agency. Defines "Internet"
in this section. Deletes the definition of "member agency." Makes
conforming changes. Redesignates Subsection (j) and (k) as Subsection (a)
and (b).  

SECTION 3.  (a) Sets forth that in accordance with Section 311.031(c)
(Saving Provisions), Government Code, which gives effect to a substantive
amendment enacted by the same legislature that codifies the amended
statute, the text of Section 55.203, Utilities Code, gives effect to
changes made by Chapter 1186, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1997.  

 (b) Sets forth that to the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails over
another Act of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, relating to
nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted codes.  

SECTION 4.Effective date: September 1, 1999.  

SECTION 5. Emergency clause.