By Flores, McReynolds, et al.                          H.B. No. 597
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to preference to Texas and United States products in
 1-3     purchasing by school districts.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 44, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 44.042 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 44.042.  PREFERENCE TO TEXAS AND UNITED STATES PRODUCTS.
 1-8     (a)  A school district that purchases agricultural products shall
 1-9     give preference to those produced, processed, or grown in this
1-10     state if the cost to the school district is equal and the quality
1-11     is acceptable to the school district.
1-12           (b)  If agricultural products produced, processed, or grown
1-13     in this state are not equal in cost and not acceptable to the
1-14     school district in quality, the school district shall give
1-15     preference to agricultural products produced, processed, or grown
1-16     in other states of the United States over foreign products if the
1-17     cost to the school district is equal and the quality is acceptable
1-18     to the school district.
1-19           (c)  A school district that purchases vegetation for
1-20     landscaping purposes, including plants, shall give preference to
1-21     Texas vegetation if the cost to the school district is equal and
1-22     the quality is acceptable to the school district.
1-23           (d)  In the implementation of this section, a school district
1-24     may receive assistance from and use the resources of the Texas
 2-1     Department of Agriculture, including information on availability of
 2-2     agricultural products.
 2-3           (e)  A school district may not adopt product purchasing
 2-4     specifications that unnecessarily exclude agricultural products
 2-5     produced, processed, or grown in this state.
 2-6           (f)  In this section:
 2-7                 (1)  "Agricultural products" includes textiles and
 2-8     other similar products.
 2-9                 (2)  "Processed" means canning, freezing, drying,
2-10     juicing, preserving, or any other act that changes the form of a
2-11     good from its natural state to another form.
2-12           SECTION 2.  The Texas Education Agency shall conduct an
2-13     analysis of purchases by school districts to determine the
2-14     effectiveness of Section 44.042, Education Code, as added by this
2-15     Act, and shall report the results of its analysis to the governor,
2-16     lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives
2-17     not later than January 1, 2001.
2-18           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-19           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.