1-1 By: Turner of Harris (Senate Sponsor - Whitmire) H.B. No. 1281 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 26, 1993; 1-3 April 27, 1993, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Criminal Justice; May 11, 1993, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 4, Nays 2; May 11, 1993, sent to printer.) 1-6 COMMITTEE VOTE 1-7 Yea Nay PNV Absent 1-8 Whitmire x 1-9 Brown x 1-10 Nelson x 1-11 Sibley x 1-12 Sims x 1-13 Turner x 1-14 West x 1-15 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-16 AN ACT 1-17 relating to requiring bidders for certain contracts with the Texas 1-18 Department of Criminal Justice to show proof of support of 1-19 employment programs for released felons and to the use of that 1-20 information by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice in awarding 1-21 contracts. 1-22 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-23 SECTION 1. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by 1-24 adding Section 493.013 to read as follows: 1-25 Sec. 493.013. REQUIRING CONTRACTORS OR VENDORS TO SHOW PROOF 1-26 OF EMPLOYMENT OF RELEASED FELONS. (a) The board shall require 1-27 each contractor or vendor bidding on a contract or subcontract 1-28 providing goods and services to the department for $100,000 or 1-29 more, or who in the past 12 months has received contracts or 1-30 subcontracts for providing goods and services to the department for 1-31 $100,000 or more, to submit with the bid information concerning any 1-32 program operated by or to be operated by the contractor or vendor 1-33 to employ released felons, or the contractor or vendor shall submit 1-34 information regarding financial contributions it has made or 1-35 intends to make to nonprofit or state programs that have as a goal 1-36 the employment of released felons. 1-37 (b) Notwithstanding Section 496.051(a) or other law, 1-38 including the State Purchasing and General Services Act (Article 1-39 601b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), the board may consider 1-40 favorably information about a contractor's or vendor's employment 1-41 of released felons or financial participation in or support of 1-42 employment programs for released felons in determining whether to 1-43 award a contract. 1-44 (c) The board shall adopt rules relating to: 1-45 (1) the evaluation by the department of information 1-46 provided under Subsection (a); and 1-47 (2) the weight that the board gives the information 1-48 described by Subsection (b) in awarding a contract, in order to 1-49 encourage the employment of released felons by contractors or 1-50 vendors or to encourage financial contributions to nonprofit or 1-51 state programs by contractors or vendors that have as a goal the 1-52 employment of released felons. 1-53 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-54 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-55 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-56 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-57 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-58 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-59 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-60 * * * * * 1-61 Austin, 1-62 Texas 1-63 May 11, 1993 1-64 Hon. Bob Bullock 1-65 President of the Senate 1-66 Sir: 1-67 We, your Committee on Criminal Justice to which was referred H.B. 1-68 No. 1281, have had the same under consideration, and I am 2-1 instructed to report it back to the Senate with the recommendation 2-2 that it do pass and be printed. 2-3 Whitmire, 2-4 Chairman 2-5 * * * * * 2-6 WITNESSES 2-7 No witnesses appeared on H.B. No. 1281.