SRC-PNG, ARR S.B. 690 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 690 76R6392 BDH-DBy: Lucio Natural Resources 4/4/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, Texas law requires Texas public schools and universities to give first preference to purchasing Texas and United States products. S.B. 690 would require the comptroller of public accounts to conduct an analysis of purchases by schools and state agencies to determine the effectiveness of this law, and would give preference in purchasing to United States products over foreign products when Texas products are not available. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 690 requires preference to Texas and U.S. products in purchasing by state agencies, school districts, and certain charter schools. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 44B, Education Code, by adding Section 44.042, as follows: Sec. 44.042. PREFERENCE TO TEXAS AND UNITED STATES PRODUCTS. Requires a school district or open-enrollment charter school that purchases goods, including agricultural products, to give preference to those produced or grown in this state, if the cost to the district or school and the quality are equal. Requires the school district or openenrollment charter school to give preference to goods produced or grown in other states of the United States over foreign products, if the cost to the school district or school and the quality are equal, if goods, including agricultural products, produced or grown in this state are not equal in cost and quality to other products. Requires a school district or open enrollment charter school that purchases vegetation for landscaping purposes, including plants, to give preference to Texas vegetation native to the region if the cost to the school district or school is not greater and the quality is not inferior. Requires the comptroller to conduct an analysis of purchases by school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to determine the effectiveness of this section and to report the analysis to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year. Defines "agricultural product." SECTION 2. Amends Section 2155.444, Government Code, to require the comptroller to conduct an analysis of purchases by the General Services Commission and state agencies to determine the effectiveness of this section and to report the analysis to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the representatives not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.