S.B. 919 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 919 By: Whitmire State Affairs Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, Texas law does not expressly authorize a governmental body to use a common or contract carrier such as Federal Express or United Parcel Service when submitting a request, notice, or other document required by Subchapter G (Attorney General Decisions) of the Public Information Act. A substantial portion of correspondence is now handled by these carriers. The purpose of Senate Bill 919 is to modernize the law in a manner that will permit such methods of delivery. 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 Senate Bill 919 amends Section 552.308(a), Government Code, to provide that when Subchapter G of Chapter 552 (Attorney General Decisions) requires a request, notice, or other document to be submitted or otherwise given to a person within a specified period, the requirement is met in a timely fashion if: _the document is sent to the person by first class United States mail or common or contract carrier properly addressed with postage or handling charges prepaid; and _it bears a post office cancellation mark or a receipt mark of a common or contract carrier indicating a time within that period; or _ the person required to submit or otherwise give the document furnishes satisfactory proof that it was deposited in the mail or with a common or contract carrier within that period. EFFECTIVE DATE Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2003.