By Turner of Harris                                    H.B. No. 896
       74R4254 GWK-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to requiring bidders for certain contracts with the Texas
    1-3  Department of Criminal Justice to show proof of support of
    1-4  employment programs for released felons and to the use of that
    1-5  information by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice in awarding
    1-6  contracts.
    1-7        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-8        SECTION 1.  Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by
    1-9  adding Section 493.015 to read as follows:
   1-10        Sec. 493.015.  (a)  The board shall require each contractor
   1-11  or vendor described by Subsection (b) who is bidding on a contract
   1-12  to provide goods or services to the department to submit with the
   1-13  bid information concerning:
   1-14              (1)  any program operated by or to be operated by the
   1-15  contractor or vendor to employ released felons in the business of
   1-16  the contractor or vendor;
   1-17              (2)  financial contributions previously made by the
   1-18  contractor or vendor or that the contractor or vendor intends to
   1-19  make to programs that have as a goal the employment of released
   1-20  felons; and
   1-21              (3)  the operation of programs described by Subdivision
   1-22  (1) by any subcontractors the contractor or vendor intends to use
   1-23  in performing the contract with the department and the financial
   1-24  contributions to programs described by Subdivision (2) made by
    2-1  those subcontractors.
    2-2        (b)  This section applies only to a contractor or vendor
    2-3  bidding on a contract to provide goods or services to the
    2-4  department if:
    2-5              (1)  the amount of the contract is $100,000 or more; or
    2-6              (2)  in the 12 months immediately preceding the date of
    2-7  the submission of the bid, the contractor or vendor had been
    2-8  awarded contracts to provide goods or services to the department
    2-9  and the total amount of those contracts equals $100,000 or more.
   2-10        (c)  Notwithstanding Section 496.051(a) or other law,
   2-11  including the State Purchasing and General Services Act (Article
   2-12  601b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), the board may consider
   2-13  favorably information about a contractor's or vendor's employment
   2-14  of released felons or participation in or financial support of
   2-15  employment programs for released felons in determining whether to
   2-16  award a contract.
   2-17        (d)  The board shall adopt rules relating to:
   2-18              (1)  the evaluation by the department of information
   2-19  provided under Subsection (a); and
   2-20              (2)  the weight that the board gives the information
   2-21  described by Subsection (c) in awarding a contract.
   2-22        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-23  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-24  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-25  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-26  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-27  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    3-1  passage, and it is so enacted.