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House Bill 2753 |
House Author: Pitts |
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Effective: 6-17-05 |
Senate Sponsor: Ogden |
House Bill 2753 amends the Government Code and other laws to authorize the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) to develop and perform certain criminal justice functions relating to policy analysis if the governor does not designate an executive branch agency or institution of higher education to do so. Such functions include serving as the state's statistical analysis center on the subject and acting as liaison with the federal government on criminal justice issues of interest relating to data, information systems, and research. The bill gives the LBB the same access to databases of the Department of Public Safety and Texas Department of Criminal Justice as federal and state criminal justice agencies now have. It expands that access for both the LBB and criminal justice agencies to include access to databases of the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and Texas Youth Commission. The bill establishes an exception to the open records law for communications between a legislator and an LBB employee or assistant. Exceptions are also extended to information the LBB compiles in conducting a performance review of a school district or institution of higher education or a review of state agency efficiency and effectiveness until the review is completed. The bill requires LBB meetings conducted by conference call to be based in Austin. It eliminates LBB board members' involvement in hiring agency personnel, setting their salaries, and approving expenses. The bill repeals provisions relating to biennial LBB studies of public education funding elements, to LBB impact statements for legislation imposing court costs on criminal defendants, and to reports or notifications by state agencies to the LBB regarding lawsuits filed against the state, training expenditures, certain membership dues, and nonresident contract bidders.