By Romo H.B. No. 1639
74R3959 CLG-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the establishment of an interagency task force to
1-3 integrate licensing and permit requirements of regulated
1-4 businesses.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. (a) The Interagency Task Force on Regulated
1-7 Businesses is created to study the development of a process to
1-8 identify regulated business entities and integrate the licensing
1-9 and permit requirements of those entities.
1-10 (b) The task force is composed of:
1-11 (1) the executive head of the following state
1-12 agencies:
1-13 (A) Department of Agriculture;
1-14 (B) Parks and Wildlife Department;
1-15 (C) Natural Resource Conservation Commission;
1-16 (D) Texas Employment Commission;
1-17 (E) Texas Department of Health;
1-18 (F) Legislative Budget Board; and
1-19 (G) Texas Department of Commerce;
1-20 (2) a representative of the governor's office,
1-21 appointed by the governor;
1-22 (3) a representative of the comptroller's office,
1-23 appointed by the comptroller;
1-24 (4) a representative of the secretary of state's
2-1 office, appointed by the secretary of state;
2-2 (5) a representative of the state treasurer's office,
2-3 appointed by the state treasurer; and
2-4 (6) a representative of the Center for Public Policy
2-5 Dispute Resolution at The University of Texas School of Law,
2-6 appointed by the Texas Department of Commerce.
2-7 (c) The executive head of a member agency described by
2-8 Subsection (b)(1) may designate an employee of the agency to serve
2-9 on the task force as the representative and under the direction of
2-10 the executive head.
2-11 (d) The representative of the Texas Department of Commerce
2-12 shall serve as the presiding officer.
2-13 (e) The task force shall meet at least once each month at
2-14 the call of the presiding officer.
2-15 (f) The appointing agency or office is responsible for the
2-16 expenses of a member's service on the task force. Members of the
2-17 task force receive no additional compensation for serving on the
2-18 task force.
2-19 (g) The task force shall study the feasibility of developing
2-20 and implementing:
2-21 (1) an integrated system of issuing licenses and
2-22 permits to business entities;
2-23 (2) an on-line database for use by regulatory agencies
2-24 in tracking and identifying regulated business entities;
2-25 (3) a single account number for state transactional
2-26 purposes to be issued to each business that is authorized by a
2-27 regulatory agency to operate in the state;
3-1 (4) electronic technology for use by regulatory
3-2 agencies in sharing and exchanging information with other
3-3 regulatory agencies;
3-4 (5) standard business permit and license applications
3-5 and forms;
3-6 (6) marketing and outreach efforts for regulatory
3-7 agencies;
3-8 (7) a mechanism other than hearings for use in
3-9 resolving disputes between businesses and the state; and
3-10 (8) a more efficient database that reduces the
3-11 duplication of information on business entities required by
3-12 regulatory agencies without interrupting current operations.
3-13 (h) Not later than February 1, 1997, the task force shall:
3-14 (1) complete the study required by Subsection (g) of
3-15 this section; and
3-16 (2) report its findings, including recommendations, to
3-17 the 75th Legislature.
3-18 (i) The task force shall make recommendations based on the
3-19 results of the study required by Subsection (g) of this section to
3-20 regulatory agencies that issue permits and licenses to business
3-21 entities in the state.
3-22 (j) In this section, "regulatory agency" means an agency,
3-23 including a department, commission, board, or office, that:
3-24 (1) is created by the constitution or by statute;
3-25 (2) is in the executive branch of state government;
3-26 (3) has statewide authority; and
3-27 (4) has authority to deny, grant, renew, revoke, or
4-1 suspend a certificate, license, permit, registration, or other form
4-2 of permission required before a person may engage in an occupation
4-3 or business.
4-4 SECTION 2. Not later than November 1, 1995, the member
4-5 agencies listed in Section 1(b)(1) and the member offices listed in
4-6 Sections 1(b)(2)-(5) of this Act shall designate the
4-7 representatives required by Section 1 of this Act to the
4-8 Interagency Task Force on Regulated Businesses. The representative
4-9 of the Texas Department of Commerce shall call the first meeting of
4-10 the task force to be held before January 17, 1996.
4-11 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
4-12 expires September 1, 1997.
4-13 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
4-14 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-15 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-16 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-17 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.