1-1     By:  King of Uvalde (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini)      H.B. No. 2429
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 1999;
 1-3     May 10, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on Finance;
 1-4     May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 7,
 1-5     Nays 0; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the method used by the comptroller of public accounts
 1-9     to pay vendors and other persons.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Sections 403.016(c) and (h), Government Code, are
1-12     amended to read as follows:
1-13           (c)  The comptroller shall use the electronic funds transfer
1-14     system to make:
1-15                 (1)  payments of more than $100 to annuitants by the
1-16     Employees Retirement System of Texas or the Teacher Retirement
1-17     System of Texas under either system's administrative jurisdiction;
1-18                 (2)  recurring payments to municipalities, counties,
1-19     political subdivisions, special districts, and other governmental
1-20     entities of this state;  and
1-21                 (3)  payments to vendors who choose to receive payment
1-22     through the electronic funds transfer system rather than by
1-23     warrant.
1-24           (h)  Notwithstanding any requirement in this section to make
1-25     a payment through the electronic funds transfer system, the
1-26     comptroller shall issue a warrant to pay a person if:
1-27                 (1)  the person properly notifies the comptroller that:
1-28                       (A)  receiving the payment by electronic funds
1-29     transfer would be impractical to the person;
1-30                       (B)  receiving the payment by electronic funds
1-31     transfer would be more costly to the person than receiving the
1-32     payment by warrant; [or]
1-33                       (C)  the person is unable to establish a
1-34     qualifying account at a financial institution to receive electronic
1-35     funds transfers; or
1-36                       (D)  the person chooses to receive the payment by
1-37     warrant; or
1-38                 (2)  the state agency on whose behalf the comptroller
1-39     makes the payment properly notifies the comptroller that:
1-40                       (A)  making the payment by electronic funds
1-41     transfer would be impractical to the agency;  or
1-42                       (B)  making the payment by electronic funds
1-43     transfer would be more costly to the agency than making the payment
1-44     by warrant.
1-45           SECTION 2.  Section 403.016(k), Government Code, is repealed.
1-46           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-47     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-48     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-49     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-50     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-51     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-52     passage, and it is so enacted.
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