By Madden                                        H.B. No. 569

      75R1699 MCK-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to false or erroneous information in state agency

 1-3     documents.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 2051, Government Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subchapter D to read as follows:

 1-7        SUBCHAPTER D.  FALSE OR ERRONEOUS INFORMATION IN STATE AGENCY

 1-8                                  DOCUMENTS

 1-9           Sec. 2051.081.  MARKING FALSE OR ERRONEOUS INFORMATION.  (a)

1-10     A state agency that determines that a document maintained by the

1-11     agency that was written or compiled by an agency employee contains

1-12     false or erroneous information about a corporation or individual

1-13     shall:

1-14                 (1)  clearly mark on all copies of the document

1-15     maintained by the agency that the relevant information is false or

1-16     erroneous; and

1-17                 (2)  inform another state agency to which a copy of the

1-18     document was sent that the relevant information is false or

1-19     erroneous.

1-20           (b)  A state agency notified by another agency that a

1-21     document that it has received from the notifying agency contains

1-22     false or erroneous information shall clearly mark the relevant

1-23     information as false or erroneous.

1-24           SECTION 2.  Section 552.351, Government Code, is amended by

 2-1     adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

 2-2           (c)  It is not an offense under this section for a person to

 2-3     alter a document in accordance with Section 2051.081.

 2-4           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-5           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-6     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-7     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-8     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-9     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.