HBA-MSH H.B. 2748 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2748 By: Davis, John Transportation 3/22/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, the commissioners of the Port of Houston Authority of Harris County (commissioner) are not required to disclose certain financial relationships with vendors. It is impossible to know if a commissioner is awarding a contract to a company in which the commissioner has a financial stake and thus whether a potential conflict of interest exists. House Bill 2748 requires a commissioner and certain bidding vendors to disclose conflicts of interest. 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 2748 amends law to require the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority of Harris County to prescribe a conflicts disclosure statement (statement) for vendors and port commissioners. The bill requires a port commissioner to disclose on the statement any employment or other business relationship the commissioner has with a vendor who participates as a bidder or in another manner in the purchasing procedures used by the Authority if that relationship results in the commissioner's receipt of taxable income from the vendor. The bill requires the port commissioner to include on the statement a description of the nature and extent of the relationship. The bill sets forth deadlines and procedures for the filing of a statement by a port commissioner and by a vendor cited in a statement of the port commissioner. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.