1-1 By: Maxey (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 1016 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 9, 1999; 1-3 April 12, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on State 1-4 Affairs; May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the manner in which state agency reports are made 1-9 available to members of the legislature. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 2052, Government Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Section 2052.0021 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 2052.0021. DISTRIBUTION OF REPORTS TO LEGISLATORS. (a) 1-14 In this section, "state agency" has the meaning assigned by Section 1-15 2052.002. 1-16 (b) Notwithstanding other law, a state agency report 1-17 required by law may be made available to members of the legislature 1-18 only in accordance with this section. 1-19 (c) A state agency shall make each report required by law 1-20 available to members of the legislature in an electronic format 1-21 determined by the Texas Legislative Council. The agency shall 1-22 promptly send a suitable printed copy of the report to a member of 1-23 the legislature at the request of the member. 1-24 (d) At the time a report required by law is ready for 1-25 distribution outside the state agency, the agency shall send 1-26 written notice to each member of the legislature that the report is 1-27 available. The agency shall send the notice by mail or, if it is 1-28 acceptable to the member, electronically. The notice must briefly 1-29 describe the subject matter of the report and state: 1-30 (1) the manner in which the member may obtain the 1-31 report electronically; and 1-32 (2) that the agency will send a printed copy of the 1-33 report to the member at the request of the member. 1-34 (e) This section does not affect the duty of a state agency 1-35 to directly send a printed copy of a report to an officer or 1-36 committee of the legislature if other law specifically requires 1-37 that the report be sent to that officer or committee, and the 1-38 agency is not required to comply with this section before sending 1-39 the report to that officer or committee. 1-40 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-41 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-42 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-43 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-44 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-45 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-46 * * * * *