C.S.H.B. 1166 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 1166 By: Solomons State Affairs Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, the Department of Information Resources is required to administer a common electronic system using the Internet, called TexasOnline. A licensing authority can use this system to electronically send occupational licenses and other documents to persons regulated by the authority and to the public; to receive applications for occupational licenses and other documents for filing from persons regulated by the authority and from the public, including documents that can be electronically signed if necessary; and to receive required payments from persons regulated by the authority and from the public. The Government Code requires numerous licensing authorities to participate in this system. The purpose of C.S.H.B. 1166 is to lessen the burden on persons regulated by multiple licensing authorities by allowing greater on-line sharing of information among licensing authorities. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the committee that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 1166 amends Subchapter I, Chapter 2054, of the Government Code to allow a person regulated by one or more licensing authorities to file a single change of address on-line with the Department of Information Resources (DIR). DIR is then required to provide the new address to each appropriate licensing authority. The bill authorizes DIR to expand the system to include additional categories of updated information that license holders may need to provide to more than one licensing authority. The bill requires each licensing authority to electronically share information regarding license holders, especially information regarding disciplinary information, with other licensing authorities to the extent it is feasible to do so and is allowed by other law, under appropriate controls for the privacy, security, accuracy, and confidentiality of the information. Licensing authorities are only authorized to use such information that they receive electronically for regulatory purposes. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2003. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 1166 differs from the original by removing the requirement that the secretary of state collect and distribute information about licensees, and the language authorizing DIR to coordinate with the secretary of state when expanding the system to include additional categories of updated information. The substitute adds language to provide that any costs incurred by the requirements of the Act could be recovered by the subscription costs currently required of licensing agencies involved with TexasOnline. The substitute removes the provision in the original which required the secretary of state and DIR to study the licensing and information needs of licensing authorities.