HBA-TBM H.B. 992 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 992
By: Hochberg
Public Education
7/3/2001
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Prior to the 77th Legislature, state law stated that any textbook publisher
or manufacturer furnishing books to Texas schools must have a book
depository within the state, a requirement meant to ensure a ready supply
of textbooks for the state.  In some cases the distance between the
publisher and the depository is greater than that between the publisher and
many districts.  Since close proximity to textbooks was the basis of the
depository requirement, exempting publishers who deliver books to Texas
schools free of delivery charges can achieve the same result.  House Bill
992 authorizes a publisher or manufacturer of textbooks who delivers
textbooks free of delivery charges to sell textbooks without a book
depository within the state.   

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

House Bill 992 amends the Education Code to require a publisher or
manufacturer of textbooks to  deliver textbooks without a delivery charge
to the receiving school district, open-enrollment charter school, or the
state if the publisher or manufacturer does not maintain or arrange with a
depository in this state and the publisher's or manufacturer's textbooks
and related products are warehoused or otherwise stored less than 300 miles
from a border of this state or the textbooks are on-line textbooks or
on-line textbook components.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.