By:  Ellis                                             S.B. No. 583
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to a prospective state contractor who is indebted to or
 1-2     owes delinquent taxes to the state.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 403.055, Government Code, is amended by
 1-5     adding Subsection (h) to read as follows:
 1-6           (h)  Before a state agency signs a contract under which the
 1-7     state agency will pay a person for providing goods or services of
 1-8     any kind, the state agency must contact the comptroller to verify
 1-9     whether the comptroller is currently prohibited from issuing a
1-10     warrant to the person under this section.  If the comptroller is
1-11     currently prohibited from issuing a warrant to the person under
1-12     this section, the state agency may not sign the contract unless the
1-13     person agrees to a contract clause under which any payments owing
1-14     to the person under the contract will be applied towards the debt
1-15     or delinquent taxes that the person owes the state until the debt
1-16     or delinquent taxes are paid in full.  The comptroller may adopt
1-17     rules to administer this subsection.
1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-19           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.