By Finnell                                       H.B. No. 497

      75R3287 JRD-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the use of frequent flyer bonuses awarded to certain

 1-3     state officers and employees.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 2171, Government Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 2171.057 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 2171.057.  FREQUENT FLYER BONUSES.  (a)  In this

 1-8     section, "frequent flyer bonus" means a credit:

 1-9                 (1)  that is given to a person by an airline in return

1-10     for that person or another person using the airline for air travel;

1-11     and

1-12                 (2)  that can be used as payment for other air travel,

1-13     automobile rentals, hotel or motel accommodations, or other

1-14     services or items.

1-15           (b)  Each officer or employee of a state agency shall report

1-16     to the person in the agency responsible for administering the

1-17     agency's travel any frequent flyer bonus to which the officer or

1-18     employee becomes entitled as a result of the officer's or

1-19     employee's air travel that is paid for from state agency funds.

1-20     The officer or employee shall deliver to the person in the agency

1-21     responsible for administering the agency's travel  any validations,

1-22     coupons, certificates, or other documents required to use or

1-23     acquire the bonus.  The state agency shall keep a record of the

1-24     reported bonuses.

 2-1           (c)  The person in the agency responsible for administering

 2-2     the agency's travel shall credit a bonus to an account to be

 2-3     maintained for the officer or employee to whom the bonus was given.

 2-4     The bonuses in an officer's or employee's account may only be used,

 2-5     with the approval of the state agency and in accordance with rules

 2-6     adopted by the commission, to pay for air travel or other items

 2-7     needed by that officer or employee in an official capacity.

 2-8           (d)  Each state agency shall report to the central travel

 2-9     office the acquisition and use of bonuses by its officers and

2-10     employees.  The central travel office shall compute the amount of

2-11     travel costs saved by the state through the use of bonuses.

2-12           (e)  The central travel office shall inform state agencies of

2-13     the requirements of this section, including rules adopted under

2-14     this section.  The state agencies shall assist the commission in

2-15     gaining the compliance of the agencies' officers and employees with

2-16     the requirements.

2-17           (f)  The commission by rule may change the manner in which

2-18     frequent flyer bonuses are administered under this section as

2-19     necessary to conform to regulations of an airline or as necessary

2-20     to ensure that the bonuses are used in a manner most advantageous

2-21     to the state.

2-22           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.  The

2-23     changes in law made by this Act apply only to frequent flyer

2-24     bonuses that a state officer or employee becomes entitled to

2-25     receive, because of official travel, on or after that date.

2-26           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-27     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.