By Rosson S.B. No. 1453 74R3144 JRD-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the electronic availability of legislative information 1-3 through the Internet. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 323, Government Code, is amended by 1-6 adding Section 323.0145 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 323.0145. ELECTRONIC AVAILABILITY OF LEGISLATIVE 1-8 INFORMATION THROUGH THE INTERNET. (a) In this section: 1-9 (1) "Internet" means the largest nonproprietary 1-10 nonprofit cooperative public computer network, popularly known as 1-11 the Internet. 1-12 (2) "Legislative information" means: 1-13 (A) a list of all the members of each house of 1-14 the legislature; 1-15 (B) a list of the committees of the legislature 1-16 and their members; 1-17 (C) the full text of each bill as filed and as 1-18 subsequently amended, substituted, engrossed, or enrolled in either 1-19 house of the legislature; 1-20 (D) the full text of each amendment or 1-21 substitute adopted by a legislative committee for each bill filed 1-22 in either house of the legislature; 1-23 (E) the calendar of each house of the 1-24 legislature, the schedule of legislative committee hearings, and a 2-1 list of the matters pending on the floor of each house of the 2-2 legislature; 2-3 (F) detailed procedural information about how a 2-4 bill filed in either house of the legislature becomes law, 2-5 including detailed timetable information concerning the times under 2-6 the constitution or the rules of either house when the legislature 2-7 may take certain actions on a bill; 2-8 (G) the district boundaries or other identifying 2-9 information for the following districts in Texas: 2-10 (i) house of representatives; 2-11 (ii) senate; 2-12 (iii) State Board of Education; and 2-13 (iv) United States Congress; and 2-14 (H) other information related to the legislative 2-15 process that in the council's opinion should be made available 2-16 through the Internet. 2-17 (b) The council, to the extent it considers it to be 2-18 feasible and appropriate, may make legislative information 2-19 available to the public through the Internet. 2-20 (c) The council may make available to the public through the 2-21 Internet any documentation that describes the electronic digital 2-22 formats of legislative information. 2-23 (d) The access to legislative information allowed by this 2-24 section: 2-25 (1) is in addition to the public's access to the 2-26 information through other electronic or print distribution of the 2-27 information; 3-1 (2) does not alter, diminish, or relinquish any 3-2 copyright or other proprietary interest or entitlement of the State 3-3 of Texas or a private entity under contract with the state; and 3-4 (3) does not affect Section 323.014. 3-5 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995. 3-6 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-7 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-8 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-9 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-10 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.