HBA-TYH H.B. 631 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 631 By: Alexander State Affairs 2/9/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 1997, the 75th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 145, which established uniform procedures for the acceptance of gifts by all agencies authorized to accept gifts. It requires the majority of a governing board of a state agency to vote in an open meeting to approve acceptance of a gift valued at $500 or more. This may frustrate groups wishing to donate seasonable and perishable food items to state agencies because an agency's governing board may take several months to act upon such an offer. H.B. 631 allows authorized agencies to first accept a gift valued at $500 or more and have its governing board acknowledge acceptance of the gift in an open meeting within 90 days. 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 Section 575.003, Government Code, by authorizing a state agency with a governing board to accept a gift only if the agency has the authority to accept the gift and a majority of the board, in an open meeting, acknowledges the acceptance of the gift, rather than approves accepting the gift, within 90 days after the date the gift is accepted. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.