By Turner of Harris                                   H.B. No. 1735
         76R7206 PAM-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to exempting certain entities that perform cooperative
 1-3     purchasing for local governments from competitive bidding
 1-4     requirements.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 271.102, Local Government Code, is
 1-7     amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
 1-8           (d)  A nonprofit organization that functions as a local
 1-9     cooperative organization and makes purchases for local governments
1-10     under a cooperative purchasing program and serves as an educational
1-11     resource for local governments on procurement and development of
1-12     technology is exempt from state law requiring local governments to
1-13     seek competitive bids for the purchase of goods or services.
1-14           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.