By Brady                                              H.B. No. 2648
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to a requirement that certain telephone directories
    1-3  contain information to increase public awareness of state
    1-4  government services.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  Article XIII, Public Utilities Regulatory Act
    1-7  (Article 1446c, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by
    1-8  adding Section 88 to read as follows:
    1-9        Sec. 88 (a)  This section applies to residential telephone
   1-10  directories which are distributed at no cost to the public in
   1-11  Texas, and are published by private or for-profit publishing
   1-12  companies.
   1-13        (b)  Such telephone directories shall include a clearly
   1-14  identified section in the front of each directory which contains
   1-15  the listings of toll-free and local telephone numbers of Texas
   1-16  state agencies, state public services and state elected officials
   1-17  who represent any or all portions of the geographical area
   1-18  contained in the telephone listings.  This telephone section shall
   1-19  be located prior to the main listing of residential and business
   1-20  telephone listings.
   1-21        (c)  The commission shall be authorized to promulgate rules
   1-22  and regulations related to implementation of this Act, including
   1-23  the format of the telephone section and determination of criteria
    2-1  for inclusion of agencies, services and officials.
    2-2        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993, and
    2-3  applies to directories published on or after September 1, 1994.
    2-4        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-5  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-6  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-7  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-8  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.