By Hunter                                        H.B. No. 997

      75R5256 JRD-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to interlibrary resource sharing and the cooperative

 1-3     purchase of certain library materials.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 441, Government Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Sections 441.0092 and 441.0093 to read as

 1-7     follows:

 1-8           Sec. 441.0092.  PLANNING FOR COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE SHARING

 1-9     PROGRAM.  (a)  The commission shall develop a plan for a

1-10     coordinated and comprehensive statewide library resource sharing

1-11     program.

1-12           (b)  The plan must concentrate on the best ways to govern,

1-13     manage, and fund a program under which all libraries in this state

1-14     supported wholly or partially by public money, including public

1-15     libraries, public school libraries, and libraries of institutions

1-16     of higher education, can:

1-17                 (1)  share resources by physically transferring loaned

1-18     materials, by sending copies of library documents by facsimile

1-19     transmission, and by networking electronic information resources;

1-20     and

1-21                 (2)  combine their buying power when purchasing access

1-22     to information in an electronic format.

1-23           (c)  The commission in developing the plan shall consider the

1-24     experience of the library resource sharing programs known as

 2-1     TexShare, the Texas State Electronic Library, and the Texas Library

 2-2     Connection.

 2-3           (d)  The plan must contain recommendations to the 76th

 2-4     Legislature for any specific legislation necessary to allow the

 2-5     plan to be implemented.

 2-6           (e)  The commission shall contract with a consultant to

 2-7     gather and analyze relevant information and to develop and present

 2-8     a proposed plan to the commission if the commission receives money

 2-9     by an appropriation, by a gift or grant, or by an interagency or

2-10     interlocal contract for that purpose.

2-11           (f)  The commission shall present its plan to the presiding

2-12     officer of each house of the legislature, of the house of

2-13     representatives' State, Federal, and International Relations

2-14     Committee, and of the senate's Committee on Intergovernmental

2-15     Relations not later than October 1, 1998.

2-16           (g)  This section expires September 1, 1999.

2-17           Sec. 441.0093.  PILOT PROJECT TO COOPERATIVELY PURCHASE

2-18     LIBRARY MATERIALS AVAILABLE ON-LINE.  (a)  The commission shall

2-19     negotiate the cooperative purchase of access to one or more library

2-20     materials that are available on-line on behalf of all libraries

2-21     supported by public funds in this state that have access to the

2-22     Internet.  The commission shall determine the appropriate pro rata

2-23     share that each library should pay for the purchased access unless

2-24     the contract for access provides that a library shall pay a

2-25     specified amount only when it accesses the material.

2-26           (b)  This section expires September 1, 1999.

2-27           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 3-1           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 3-2     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.