By Duncan                                              S.B. No. 561
         76R2180 JRD-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the payment of amounts owing due to the use of certain
 1-3     state-issued credit cards.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 2171.052, Government Code, is amended by
 1-6     adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:
 1-7           (d)  The commission's contracts with credit card companies
 1-8     under Subsection (a)  must provide that:
 1-9                 (1)  amounts charged on credit cards issued under the
1-10     contract to a state officer or employee for expenses that are
1-11     reimbursable to the state officer or employee by the state will be
1-12     paid directly by the state to the credit card company; and
1-13                 (2)  the state officer or employee is directly
1-14     responsible to the credit card company only for payment of charges
1-15     that are not reimbursable to the officer or employee by the state.
1-16           (e)  The comptroller and the commission may adopt rules for
1-17     the efficient administration of the contract requirements imposed
1-18     under Subsection (d) and by rule may jointly adopt a memorandum of
1-19     understanding for the efficient administration of those
1-20     requirements.
1-21           SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
1-22     a contract between the General Services Commission and a credit
1-23     card company under Section 2171.052, Government Code, that is
1-24     entered into on or after the effective date of this Act, except
 2-1     that if the credit card company agrees to amend an existing
 2-2     contract to reflect the requirements imposed on new contracts by
 2-3     this Act, the rules of the commission and the comptroller that
 2-4     implement the requirements apply also to the administration of the
 2-5     amended contract.
 2-6           SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by this Act do not:
 2-7                 (1)  authorize a state officer or employee to use a
 2-8     credit card issued to the officer or employee through the state
 2-9     under Section 2171.052, Government Code, to charge goods or
2-10     services that are not connected to the officer's or employee's
2-11     performance of state business; or
2-12                 (2)  affect the extent, if any, to which a state
2-13     officer or employee may use the credit card to charge goods or
2-14     services that are connected to the officer's or employee's
2-15     performance of state business but the expense of which is not
2-16     reimbursable to the officer or employee by the state.
2-17           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-18           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.