By:  Lindsay                                           S.B. No. 354
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the powers of a local government corporation.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 431.101, Transportation Code, is amended
 1-5     by amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsections (g) and (h) to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           (e)  Except as provided by Subsections (g) and (h), a local
 1-8     government corporation is subject to all state law related to the
 1-9     design and construction of projects, including the procurement of
1-10     design and construction services, that applies to the local
1-11     government that created the corporation.  In the event that a local
1-12     government corporation is created jointly by multiple local
1-13     governments, and if the local governments have different threshold
1-14     contract amounts at which competitive bidding is required, then the
1-15     corporation shall follow the lower amount [Section 394.904(a),
1-16     Local Government Code, applies to property and improvements owned
1-17     by a local government corporation.  Section 394.904(b) of that code
1-18     applies to each contract awarded by the local government
1-19     corporation].
1-20           (g)  A corporation created after September 1, 1999, by a
1-21     municipality for the purpose of the development of a convention
1-22     center hotel project is exempt from competitive bidding
1-23     requirements and other restrictions on the award of contracts for
1-24     the limited purpose of completing a project initiated prior to
1-25     December 31, 2000.
 2-1           (h)  A corporation created by a municipality after September
 2-2     1, 1999, for the purpose of developing water treatment and
 2-3     distribution facilities is exempt from competitive bidding
 2-4     requirements and other restrictions on the award of contracts for
 2-5     the limited purpose of completing projects as described in a
 2-6     project definition document issued prior to December 31, 2000.  Any
 2-7     expansion of the treatment facility beyond the project described in
 2-8     the project definition document is exempt from competitive bidding
 2-9     requirements and other restrictions on the award of contracts for
2-10     the purpose of contracting for the operation of the facility but is
2-11     subject to all state law related to design and construction
2-12     procurement that applies to the local government that created the
2-13     corporation, as provided in Subsection (e).
2-14           SECTION 2.  Subchapter D, Chapter 431, Transportation Code,
2-15     is amended by adding Sections 431.110 and 431.111 to read as
2-16     follows:
2-17           Sec. 431.110.  CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN CONTRACTS.  The
2-18     provisions of Chapter 171, Local Government Code, shall apply to
2-19     the award of contracts by a local government corporation.
2-20           Sec. 431.111.  ANNUAL REPORT TO COMPTROLLER.  (a)  Not later
2-21     than February 1 of each year, the board of a local government
2-22     corporation shall submit to the comptroller a report in the form
2-23     required by the comptroller.  The form for the report may not
2-24     exceed one page in length.
2-25           (b)  The report must include:
2-26                 (1)  a statement of the corporation's purpose;
 3-1                 (2)  a statement of the corporation's total revenues
 3-2     and expenditures during the preceding fiscal year; and
 3-3                 (3)  a summary of the corporation's activities during
 3-4     the preceding fiscal year, including any bonds issued and capital
 3-5     projects undertaken by the corporation.
 3-6           (c)  A copy of the annual report required by this section
 3-7     shall also be submitted to the local government that created the
 3-8     corporation.
 3-9           SECTION 3.  With the exception of Subsections (g) and (h),
3-10     Section 431.101, Transportation Code, as added by this Act, the
3-11     change in law made by this Act to Subsection (e), Section 431.101,
3-12     Transportation Code, applies only to a contract entered into by a
3-13     local government corporation on or after the effective date of this
3-14     Act.  A contract entered into before the effective date of this Act
3-15     is governed by that section as it existed immediately before the
3-16     effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in
3-17     effect for that purpose.
3-18           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
3-19     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
3-20     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
3-21     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
3-22     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.