By Brimer                                             H.B. No. 2747
          Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2747:
          By Averitt                                        C.S.H.B. No. 2747
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to debt collection; providing a penalty.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Article 5069-11.01, Vernon's Texas Civil
    1-5  Statutes, is amended by adding paragraph (h) to read as follows:
    1-6        (h)  "Credit bureau" means any person who, for compensation,
    1-7  gathers, records and disseminates information relative to the
    1-8  credit worthiness, financial responsibility, paying habits and
    1-9  other similar information regarding any person, for the purpose of
   1-10  furnishing consumer reports to third parties.
   1-11        SECTION 2.  Article 5069-11.10, Vernon's Texas Civil
   1-12  Statutes, is amended by adding paragraph (c) to read as follows:
   1-13        (c)  A person who successfully maintains an action under this
   1-14  article shall be awarded at least $100 for each violation of this
   1-15  Act.
   1-16        SECTION 3.  Article 5069, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes, is
   1-17  amended by adding article 11.12 to read as follows:
   1-18        Art. 5069-11.12 Report to Consumer.
   1-19        A credit bureau shall, upon request, provide to any person in
   1-20  its registry a copy of all information contained in its files
   1-21  concerning such person.  This copy must be provided to the consumer
   1-22  within 45 days of the request.
   1-23        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
    2-1        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-2  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses creates an
    2-3  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-4  constitutional rule requiring bills be read on three several days
    2-5  in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.