1-1     By:  Ellis, et al.                                     S.B. No. 827

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 27, 1997; March 4, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;

 1-4     March 19, 1997, reported favorably, as amended, by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; March 19, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                           By:  Armbrister

 1-7     Amend S.B. No. 827 in Section 2 of the bill by striking the

 1-8     sentence that begins "The Texas Performance Review staff shall

 1-9     analyze" and substituting the following:  "The Texas Performance

1-10     Review staff shall analyze the rules of agencies and develop

1-11     recommendations to make regulatory processes more efficient."

1-12                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

1-13                                   AN ACT

1-14     relating to the review of certain state agency requirements imposed

1-15     on individuals and businesses.

1-16           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-17           SECTION 1.  In this Act:

1-18                 (1)  "State agency" means a board, commission,

1-19     department, office, or other agency that is in the executive branch

1-20     of state government and that was created by the constitution or a

1-21     statute of the state, excluding institutions of higher education as

1-22     defined by Section 61.003, Education Code.

1-23                 (2)  "Texas Performance Review" means the ongoing study

1-24     of state government directed by the comptroller under Section

1-25     403.022, Government Code.

1-26           SECTION 2.  The comptroller shall include a review of the

1-27     scope, cost, and efficiency of the state's regulatory process in

1-28     the next comprehensive review performed by the Texas Performance

1-29     Review.  The Texas Performance Review staff shall analyze the rules

1-30     of an agency when reviewing that agency and develop recommendations

1-31     to make the agency's regulatory process more efficient.  As part of

1-32     the review process, the Texas Performance Review staff shall obtain

1-33     comments and recommendations from individuals and businesses

1-34     affected by the agency's regulatory process through public hearings

1-35     or other means, including electronic communications.  The Texas

1-36     Performance Review recommendations on the state regulatory process

1-37     shall be filed with the legislature not later than November 15,

1-38     1998.

1-39           SECTION 3.  This Act expires September 1, 1999.

1-40           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-41     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-42     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-43     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-44     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-45     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-46     passage, and it is so enacted.

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