HBA-MPA H.B. 2942 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2942 By: Lewis, Glenn County Affairs 3/29/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, Tarrant County operates the Tarrant County Resource Connection, formerly owned or controlled by the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, which is a unique combination of human service agencies located together with the intent of providing a convenient, one-stop resource for clients. The agencies located at the county-owned Resource Connection include a combination of public, private nonprofit, state, and local human service agencies. In order for a for-profit human service group to locate at the Resource Connection the county is currently required to conduct a competitive or sealed bidding process, which might exclude the most compatible groups. The ability to locate other compatible, for-profit human service agencies, without being restricted by the competitive or sealed bid process, would enhance the ability of the Resource Connection to meet the needs of their clients and comply with the intent of the one-stop center vision and the state privatization initiative. H.B. 2942 permits a county to lease space in a facility formerly owned or controlled by the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to a for-profit entity without going through the competitive bidding or sealed proposal process, and sets out conditions for such a lease. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 263.007, Local Government Code, by redesignating Subsection (f) as Subsection (g) and adding Subsection (f), to authorize the commissioners court of a county that contains the majority of the territory of two or more municipalities with a population of 250,000 or more to lease property owned or controlled by the county that was formerly owned or controlled by the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to a for-profit entity to conduct health and human services activities that the commissioners court finds to be in the public interest, without using the sealed-bid or sealed-proposal process under this section or any other competitive bidding process required by law. Requires the commissioners court to follow the procedure prescribed by Subsection (e) (dealing with the leasing procedure of county property to nonprofit entities for the purpose of providing health and human services) with regard to a lease. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.