By Maxey H.B. No. 2283 76R3487 JRD-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the establishment of a common information center for 1-3 state government through which public inquiries can be transferred 1-4 to the appropriate state governmental entity and frequently 1-5 requested information can be forwarded. 1-6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-7 SECTION 1. Chapter 2170, Government Code, is amended by 1-8 adding Subchapter C to read as follows: 1-9 SUBCHAPTER C. ACCESS TEXAS INFORMATION CENTER 1-10 Sec. 2170.101. INFORMATION CENTER. (a) The commission 1-11 shall staff and operate an information center for state government. 1-12 The information center is in addition to and does not supplant 1-13 information centers operated by other state governmental entities. 1-14 (b) The center shall establish and the commission shall 1-15 widely publicize a toll-free telephone number to receive public 1-16 inquiries. 1-17 (c) The center shall remain continuously open to accept 1-18 telephone calls and shall: 1-19 (1) transfer callers as necessary to the appropriate 1-20 state governmental entity; 1-21 (2) answer frequently asked questions about state 1-22 government and state government services and activities; and 1-23 (3) send commonly requested information by facsimile 1-24 transmission or electronic mail to persons requesting the 2-1 information. 2-2 (d) The commission shall establish, maintain, and keep 2-3 current an electronic database. The commission shall train 2-4 employees of the center to use the electronic database in 2-5 performing their duties. The database must contain: 2-6 (1) the local and the toll-free telephone numbers of 2-7 each state governmental entity, indexed by: 2-8 (A) the names of the state governmental 2-9 entities; and 2-10 (B) subject matter, according to the types of 2-11 services provided by the state and according to other types of 2-12 state government activities; 2-13 (2) the business telephone number of each state 2-14 officer and employee; and 2-15 (3) information related to frequently asked questions 2-16 about the services provided by and other activities of state 2-17 government. 2-18 (e) The commission shall establish and maintain a generally 2-19 accessible Internet site through which members of the public may, 2-20 to the extent practical, access information in the center's 2-21 electronic database. 2-22 (f) The commission may recover the costs of developing and 2-23 operating the center through interagency contracts. The commission 2-24 may, after August 31, 2001, recover the costs of operating the 2-25 center by charging state governmental entities a fee based on the 2-26 amount of services the center provides to the public on behalf of 2-27 an entity, if the commission does not receive a direct 3-1 appropriation to operate the center. 3-2 Sec. 2170.102. INDEPENDENT POLICY BOARD; COMPOSITION, 3-3 POWERS, AND DUTIES. (a) The commission administers the center and 3-4 employs the staff of the center. Policy for the center is 3-5 established by an independent Access Texas policy board. 3-6 (b) The board is composed of nine voting members. Three 3-7 members are appointed by the governor, one of whom must have 3-8 expertise regarding information centers, one of whom must have 3-9 expertise in telecommunications, and one of whom must represent the 3-10 general public. None of the governor's appointees may be employed 3-11 by government. Six members are voting ex officio members. The 3-12 voting ex officio members are the governing officer or the 3-13 presiding officer of the governing body of the following state 3-14 offices and agencies, or a designee of the governing officer or 3-15 presiding officer who must be an employee of the represented office 3-16 or agency: 3-17 (1) the commission; 3-18 (2) the comptroller's office; 3-19 (3) the Department of Information Resources; 3-20 (4) the Health and Human Services Commission; 3-21 (5) the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; and 3-22 (6) the Texas Workforce Commission. 3-23 (c) The members of the board appointed by the governor serve 3-24 staggered six-year terms with the term of one member expiring 3-25 February 1 of each odd-numbered year. The governor may appoint 3-26 additional nonvoting advisory members to the board to serve at the 3-27 will of the governor if the governor considers that the nonvoting 4-1 advisory members possess expertise or represent a viewpoint that 4-2 will benefit the board. 4-3 (d) The board may accept gifts and grants for purposes 4-4 related to the development or operation of the center. 4-5 (e) The board by rule shall establish policy for the 4-6 development and operation of the information center, of the 4-7 electronic database, and of the Internet site. The commission shall 4-8 provide the board with access to all information relating to the 4-9 development and operation of the information center, electronic 4-10 database, and Internet site. 4-11 (f) The board shall establish standards for evaluating the 4-12 development and operation of the information center, electronic 4-13 database, and Internet site based on standards for similar 4-14 activities in the private sector. 4-15 Sec. 2170.103. BOARD PROCEDURES AND OPERATIONS. (a) The 4-16 governor shall appoint the presiding officer of the board from 4-17 among the voting members who are appointed by the governor. 4-18 (b) The board shall meet at the call of the presiding 4-19 officer or as provided by procedural rules adopted by the board. 4-20 (c) The board is subject to the open meetings law, Chapter 4-21 551, the open records law, Chapter 552, and the administrative 4-22 procedure law, Chapter 2001. The executive director and staff of 4-23 the commission under the direction of the board shall perform the 4-24 ministerial duties required for compliance with those laws. The 4-25 board is not an advisory committee. 4-26 (d) Ex officio members of the board receive no additional 4-27 compensation for service on the board, and service on the board is 5-1 considered a duty of their underlying state office or employment 5-2 for purposes that include receiving reimbursement for expenses 5-3 related to service on the board. Voting and nonvoting members of 5-4 the board appointed by the governor are not entitled to 5-5 compensation for service on the board but are entitled to 5-6 reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the 5-7 performance of duties as a member of the board, subject to any 5-8 applicable limitation on reimbursement prescribed by the General 5-9 Appropriations Act. The board may receive an appropriation for its 5-10 expenses, including for the reimbursement of the actual and 5-11 necessary expenses of the members appointed by the governor. 5-12 (e) A state office or agency that is represented on the 5-13 board may allow its employees to assist the commission in the 5-14 administration and operation of the center and to assist the board 5-15 in the performance of the board's duties. 5-16 Sec. 2170.104. COORDINATION WITH OTHER STATE AGENCIES. (a) 5-17 The commission shall ensure that other state agencies have access 5-18 to the electronic database. 5-19 (b) The center and other state agencies shall enter into 5-20 agreements as appropriate so that, to the extent practical: 5-21 (1) personnel at other state agency information 5-22 centers may, during reasonable interludes, assist the Access Texas 5-23 center by receiving and processing telephone calls to the Access 5-24 Texas center; 5-25 (2) personnel at the Access Texas center may assist 5-26 other state agency information centers during reasonable interludes 5-27 by receiving and processing telephone calls to the other centers; 6-1 and 6-2 (3) the telecommunications systems of and the 6-3 electronically accessible information available to the various 6-4 information centers are linked in a manner that will facilitate the 6-5 mutual assistance described by this section. 6-6 SECTION 2. The General Services Commission may not, for the 6-7 state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2001, receive a direct 6-8 appropriation for the development and operation of the Access Texas 6-9 information center that the commission is required to establish 6-10 under Subchapter C, Chapter 2170, Government Code, as added by this 6-11 Act. During that state fiscal biennium, each of the 25 largest 6-12 state agencies, as determined by the amount of appropriations to 6-13 the agencies for the biennium under the General Appropriations Act, 6-14 that are in the executive branch of state government and that are 6-15 not agencies or institutions of higher education, shall enter into 6-16 interagency contracts with the General Services Commission under 6-17 which those agencies will pay the commission for the development 6-18 and operation of the Access Texas information center during the 6-19 biennium. Each of those agencies shall pay the percentage of the 6-20 costs of developing and operating the center during the biennium 6-21 that is equal to the percentage obtained by dividing the agency's 6-22 appropriation for the biennium by the sum of the 25 agencies' 6-23 appropriations for the biennium. 6-24 SECTION 3. (a) As soon as possible after the effective date 6-25 of this Act, the governor shall appoint three voting members to the 6-26 independent policy board of the Access Texas information center in 6-27 accordance with Subchapter C, Chapter 2170, Government Code, as 7-1 added by this Act. The governor shall appoint one member for a term 7-2 expiring February 1, 2001, one for a term expiring February 1, 7-3 2003, and one for a term expiring February 1, 2005. 7-4 (b) The independent policy board of the Access Texas 7-5 information center shall hold its first meeting in September of 7-6 1999. The executive director of the General Services Commission, in 7-7 consultation with the presiding officer of the policy board, may 7-8 perform all ministerial duties on behalf of the board that are 7-9 necessary under state law for the board to hold its first meeting. 7-10 (c) The electronic database and the Internet site required 7-11 under Subchapter C, Chapter 2170, Government Code, as added by this 7-12 Act, shall be operational not later than January of 2000. 7-13 Equipment and software necessary for the operation of the Access 7-14 Texas information center shall be installed and operational not 7-15 later than September of 2000, and the center shall begin operations 7-16 not later than that month. The center's toll-free telephone number 7-17 shall be listed with all telephone exchanges and in the directories 7-18 of all local telephone companies in this state not later than 7-19 January 1, 2001. 7-20 (d) The center shall begin operations with 33 full-time 7-21 employees. 7-22 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 7-23 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 7-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 7-25 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 7-26 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 7-27 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 8-1 passage, and it is so enacted.