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.