By Turner of Harris                                   H.B. No. 1281
          Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1281:
          By Delco                                          C.S.H.B. No. 1281
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to requiring bidders for certain contracts with the Texas
    1-3  Department of Criminal Justice to show proof of support of
    1-4  employment programs for released felons and to the use of that
    1-5  information by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice in awarding
    1-6  contracts.
    1-7        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-8        SECTION 1.  Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by
    1-9  adding Section 493.013 to read as follows:
   1-10        Section 493.013  REQUIRING CONTRACTORS OR VENDORS TO SHOW
   1-11  PROOF OF EMPLOYMENT OF RELEASED FELONS.  (a)  The board shall
   1-12  require each contractor or vendor bidding on a contract or
   1-13  subcontract, providing goods and services to the department, for
   1-14  $100,000 or more, or who in the past 12 months has received
   1-15  contracts or subcontracts for providing goods and services to the
   1-16  department for $100,000 or more, to submit with the bid information
   1-17  concerning any program operated by or to be operated by the
   1-18  contractor or vendor to employ released felons, or, the contractor
   1-19  or vendor shall submit information regarding financial
   1-20  contributions it has made or intends to make to nonprofit or state
   1-21  programs that have as a goal the employment of released felons.
   1-22        (b)  Notwithstanding Section 496.051(a) or other law,
   1-23  including the State Purchasing and General Services Act (Article
   1-24  601b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), the board shall consider
    2-1  favorably information about a contractor's or vendor's employment
    2-2  of released felons or financial participation in or support of
    2-3  employment programs for released felons in determining whether to
    2-4  award a contract.
    2-5        (c)  The board shall adopt rules relating to:
    2-6              (1)  the evaluation by the department of information
    2-7  provided under Subsection (a); and
    2-8              (2)  the weight that the board gives the information
    2-9  described by Subsection (b) in awarding a contract, in order to
   2-10  encourage the employment of released felons by contractors or
   2-11  vendors or to encourage financial contributions to nonprofit or
   2-12  state programs by contractors or vendors that have as a goal the
   2-13  employment of released felons.
   2-14        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-15  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-16  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-17  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-18  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-19  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-20  passage, and is so enacted.