IMF S.B. 1396 75(R) BILL ANALYSIS STATE AFFAIRS S.B. 1396 By: Lindsay (S. Turner) 5-20-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Currently, governing boards of Municipal Hospitals and Municipal Hospital Authorities are not required to hold open meetings to deliberate the pricing or financial planning of a bid or negotiation for the provision of goods and services or information relating to a new product line or proposed service. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 1396 would provide the same private meeting allowances for hospital districts as are afforded to municipal hospitals and municipal hospital authorities. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 551.085 of the Government Code to include hospital districts created under general or special law to be listed under the provision of entities not required to conduct certain open meetings. The section allows hospital district governing boards the opportunity to discuss in private information relating to bids or negotiations for the arrangement or provision of services of product lines if the information would give advantage to competitors of the hospital district. The section also provides hospital district governing boards the opportunity to discuss in private information relating to a proposed new service or product line of the hospital district. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.