BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 1647 By: Pitts (Ratliff) Intergovernmental Relations 4-28-95 Senate Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND City planning services are generally considered professional services and so should be purchased by cities through a request for proposal (RFP) process or negotiated service contract. In some areas, confusion exists on type of service and planning services are solicited under the sealed competitive bid process. Engineers are prohibited from using that system under other statutes so they are precluded from pursuing those contracts. PURPOSE As proposed, C.S.H.B. 1647 amends provisions relating to the purchasing and contracting authority of municipalities. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 252.001, Local Government Code, as follows: Sec. 252.001. DEFINITIONS. Defines "planning services" to mean services primarily intended to guide governmental policy to ensure the orderly and coordinated development of the state or of municipal, county, metropolitan, or regional land areas. Redesignates existing Subdivisions (5)-(7) to Subdivisions (6)-(8). SECTION 2. Amends Section 252.022(a), Local Government Code, to provide that Chapter 252 of this code does not apply to an expenditure for, among others, a procurement for planning services. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.