1-1 By: Ellis S.B. No. 583 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 17, 1999; February 22, 1999, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; 1-4 March 29, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7, 1-5 Nays 0; March 29, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to a prospective state contractor who is indebted to or 1-9 owes delinquent taxes to the state. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Section 403.055, Government Code, is amended by 1-12 adding Subsection (h) to read as follows: 1-13 (h) Before a state agency signs a contract under which the 1-14 state agency will pay a person for providing goods or services of 1-15 any kind, the state agency must contact the comptroller to verify 1-16 whether the comptroller is currently prohibited from issuing a 1-17 warrant to the person under this section. If the comptroller is 1-18 currently prohibited from issuing a warrant to the person under 1-19 this section, the state agency may not sign the contract unless the 1-20 person agrees to a contract clause under which any payments owing 1-21 to the person under the contract will be applied towards the debt 1-22 or delinquent taxes that the person owes the state until the debt 1-23 or delinquent taxes are paid in full. The comptroller may adopt 1-24 rules to administer this subsection. 1-25 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-26 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-27 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-28 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-29 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-30 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-31 * * * * *