HBA-EDN C.S.H.B. 1056 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1056 By: Gallego State Affairs 3/30/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, the house general investigating committee (committee) has jurisdiction to investigate a variety of issues of statewide concern. The committee consists of five members and conducts inquiries and investigations in which sensitive information held by the committee may be subject to public disclosure. C.S.H.B. 1056 allows the composition of the committee to be increased and for sensitive information held by the committee to be withheld from public release. 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. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 1056 amends the Government Code to provide that the house general investigating committee (committee) must consist of not fewer than five house members. The bill provides that a majority of the members constitutes a quorum to transact business. The bill provides that information held by a general investigating committee that, if held by a law enforcement agency or prosecutor, would be excepted from the requirements of public availability is confidential and not subject to public disclosure. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 1056 modifies the original by providing that the membership of the committee must consist of not fewer than five house members, rather than increasing the number of members from five to nine. The original excepted from disclosure information held by the committee that, if released, would interfere with or compromise an investigation, study, or other legitimate function of the committee and provided the committee with discretion to waive confidentiality. The substitute eliminates this discretion and excepts information only to the extent that the same information would be excepted if it were held by a law enforcement agency or prosecutor. The substitute also removes provisions providing that the public notice requirements of a quorum of a governmental body appearing before a legislative committee do not apply.