By Puente                                              H.B. No. 960
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to authorizing counties to sell county-developed computer
    1-3  software.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Chapter 270, Local Government Code, is amended by
    1-6  adding Section 270.007 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 270.007.  SALE OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE.  (a)  A county may
    1-8  sell or license by any method a computer software product or system
    1-9  developed by the county.  A county may sell or license by any
   1-10  method a computer software product or system developed for the
   1-11  county by a person under contract unless the contract specifically
   1-12  prohibits the county from selling or licensing the product or
   1-13  system.
   1-14        (b)  The county may market the software product or system or
   1-15  contract with a person to market the product or system.
   1-16        (c)  The provisions of the open records law, Chapter 552,
   1-17  Government Code, governing the cost of making copies of public
   1-18  records do not apply to a software product or system subject to
   1-19  this section.
   1-20        (d)  In this section, "computer software product or system"
   1-21  includes documentation of the product or system.
   1-22        (e)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the
   1-23  provisions of this section apply only to (1) the sale or licensure
   1-24  of a software product or system by a county or (2) a request under
    2-1  Chapter 552, Government Code, for a computer software product or
    2-2  system itself, and do not apply to the cost of production for
    2-3  public inspection or copying of information collected, assembled,
    2-4  or maintained through the use of such software, including on-line
    2-5  instructions on computer searches or information necessary to
    2-6  obtain records from county computer systems, which cost shall be
    2-7  governed by Subchapter F, Chapter 552, Government Code, without
    2-8  regard to the cost of developing the software.
    2-9        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-10  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-11  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-12  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-13  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-14  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-15  passage, and it is so enacted.