By Flores H.B. No. 597 76R2855 BDH-D 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 and certain charter schools. 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 or open-enrollment charter school that 1-9 purchases goods, including agricultural products, shall give 1-10 preference to those produced or grown in this state if the cost to 1-11 the school district or school and quality are equal. 1-12 (b) If goods, including agricultural products, produced or 1-13 grown in this state are not equal in cost and quality to other 1-14 products, the school district or school shall give preference to 1-15 goods produced or grown in other states of the United States over 1-16 foreign products if the cost to the school district or school and 1-17 quality are equal. 1-18 (c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school that 1-19 purchases vegetation for landscaping purposes, including plants, 1-20 shall give preference to Texas vegetation native to the region if 1-21 the cost to the school district or school is not greater and the 1-22 quality is not inferior. 1-23 (d) In this section, "agricultural products" includes 1-24 textiles and other similar products. 2-1 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 2-2 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-3 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-4 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-5 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-6 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.