1-1 By: Flores, McReynolds, et al. H.B. No. 597 1-2 (Senate Sponsor - Lucio) 1-3 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 16, 1999; 1-4 April 19, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-5 Education; May 12, 1999, rereferred to Committee on Natural 1-6 Resources; May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-7 Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to preference to Texas and United States products in 1-11 purchasing by school districts. 1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-13 SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 44, Education Code, is 1-14 amended by adding Section 44.042 to read as follows: 1-15 Sec. 44.042. PREFERENCE TO TEXAS AND UNITED STATES PRODUCTS. 1-16 (a) A school district that purchases agricultural products shall 1-17 give preference to those produced, processed, or grown in this 1-18 state if the cost to the school district is equal and the quality 1-19 is acceptable to the school district. 1-20 (b) If agricultural products produced, processed, or grown 1-21 in this state are not equal in cost and not acceptable to the 1-22 school district in quality, the school district shall give 1-23 preference to agricultural products produced, processed, or grown 1-24 in other states of the United States over foreign products if the 1-25 cost to the school district is equal and the quality is acceptable 1-26 to the school district. 1-27 (c) A school district that purchases vegetation for 1-28 landscaping purposes, including plants, shall give preference to 1-29 Texas vegetation if the cost to the school district is equal and 1-30 the quality is acceptable to the school district. 1-31 (d) In the implementation of this section, a school district 1-32 may receive assistance from and use the resources of the Texas 1-33 Department of Agriculture, including information on availability of 1-34 agricultural products. 1-35 (e) A school district may not adopt product purchasing 1-36 specifications that unnecessarily exclude agricultural products 1-37 produced, processed, or grown in this state. 1-38 (f) In this section: 1-39 (1) "Agricultural products" includes textiles and 1-40 other similar products. 1-41 (2) "Processed" means canning, freezing, drying, 1-42 juicing, preserving, or any other act that changes the form of a 1-43 good from its natural state to another form. 1-44 SECTION 2. The Texas Education Agency shall conduct an 1-45 analysis of purchases by school districts to determine the 1-46 effectiveness of Section 44.042, Education Code, as added by this 1-47 Act, and shall report the results of its analysis to the governor, 1-48 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives 1-49 not later than January 1, 2001. 1-50 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-51 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-52 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-53 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-54 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-55 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-56 * * * * *