By Brimer                                             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 gathers, records or
    1-7  disseminates information relative to the credit worthiness,
    1-8  financial responsibility, paying habits and other similar
    1-9  information regarding any person.
   1-10        SECTION 2.  Article 5069-11.02, Vernon's Texas Civil
   1-11  Statutes, is amended by adding paragraph (h) to read as follows:
   1-12        (h)  threatening to report negative information to a credit
   1-13  bureau without allowing the consumer time to dispute the validity
   1-14  of the debt.
   1-15        SECTION 3.  Article 5069-11.10, Vernon's Texas Civil
   1-16  Statutes, is amended by adding paragraph (c) to read as follows:
   1-17        (c)  A person who successfully maintains an action under this
   1-18  article shall be awarded at least $100 for each violation of this
   1-19  Act.
   1-20        SECTION 4.  Article 5069, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes, is
   1-21  amended by adding article 11.11 to read as follows:
   1-22        Art. 5069-11.11  Report to Consumer.
   1-23        A credit bureau shall, upon request, provide to any person in
    2-1  its registry a copy of all information contained in its files
    2-2  concerning such consumer.  This copy must be provided to the
    2-3  consumer within 45 days of the request.  The credit bureau may
    2-4  charge a reasonable fee not to exceed $25 for each report.
    2-5        SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
    2-6        SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-7  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses creates an
    2-8  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-9  constitutional rule requiring bills be read on three several days
   2-10  in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.