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Senate Bill 408 |
Senate Author: Rodríguez et al. |
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Effective: Vetoed |
House Sponsor: Blanco |
Senate Bill 408 amends the Local Government Code to extend to a county the authority granted to a municipality to consider the location of a bidder's principal place of business when entering into a contract for certain purchases of real property, personal property that is not affixed to real property, or services.
Reason Given for Veto: "Government has an obligation to spend no more of the taxpayers' money than necessary. All government contracts should be competitively bid, and the vendor who offers the best value to the taxpayers should be chosen every time. Senate Bill 408 would authorize counties to reject the best bid and instead spend 5 percent extra in order to select an in-county vendor. The needs of taxpayers should come before the needs of government or vendors. County governments should focus on protecting the public fisc — not steering business to local vendors who are not offering the value the taxpayers deserve."