HBA-EDN H.B. 1056 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1056 By: Gallego State Affairs 2/15/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, the house general investigating committee (committee) has jurisdiction to investigate a variety of issues of statewide concern. The committee consists of five members and conducts inquiries and investigations in which sensitive information held by the committee may be subject to public disclosure. House Bill 1056 sets forth provisions relating to the composition and operation of the committee and to the appearance of members of a governmental body before a legislative committee. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1056 amends the Government Code to increase, from five to nine house members, the size of the house general investigating committee (committee). The bill provides that information in the custody or control of a general investigatory committee that, if released, would interfere with or compromise an investigation, study, or other legitimate function of the committee is confidential and not subject to public disclosure. This confidentiality is in addition to any other confidentiality provided by law to the committee and may be waived by the committee as it determines appropriate. The bill provides that public notice requirements do not apply when a quorum of members of a governmental body (members) appear as witnesses at public meetings of a committee of the legislature if the meeting meets the public notice requirements and the only topic of discussion the members engage in is that which is referenced in the meeting notice. H.B. 1056 also provides that members appearing as witnesses before a committee of the legislature without providing public notice of the meeting are prohibited from taking formal action on any matter. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.