By Harris                                        S.B. No. 440

      75R4859 JRD-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to licensing records requested from a state agency by

 1-3     another state agency for purposes of state contracting.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 555, Government Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subchapter C to read as follows:

 1-7         SUBCHAPTER C.  LICENSE RECORDS REQUESTED BY ANOTHER AGENCY

 1-8           Sec. 555.051.  DEFINITION.  In this subchapter, "state

 1-9     agency" means any board, commission, department, or other agency in

1-10     the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of state government.

1-11           Sec. 555.052.  STATE AGENCY RIGHT OF ACCESS TO LICENSING

1-12     INFORMATION.  (a)  Notwithstanding other law, a state agency shall

1-13     on request provide another state agency with all relevant

1-14     information about the status of a license held or formerly held by

1-15     one of its licensees if the requesting state agency states that the

1-16     information is needed to evaluate a bid or proposal or the status

1-17     of a contract. The requesting state agency may request the

1-18     information about its contractors or subcontractors or its

1-19     potential contractors or subcontractors.

1-20           (b)  The requesting state agency may not disclose the

1-21     information outside the agency if the information is confidential

1-22     or excepted from required disclosure under other law.

1-23           SECTION 2.  Section 555.003, Government Code, is amended to

1-24     read as follows:

 2-1           Sec. 555.003.  EXCEPTION. Subchapter B [This chapter] does

 2-2     not apply to files that relate to drivers of motor vehicles and

 2-3     that are maintained by the Department of Public Safety under

 2-4     Subchapter C, Chapter 521, Transportation Code [Section 21, Chapter

 2-5     173, Acts of the 47th Legislature, Regular Session, 1941 (Article

 2-6     6687b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)].

 2-7           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-12     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-13     passage, and it is so enacted.