By:  West                                                         S.B. No. 1000
	(In the Senate - Filed March 7, 2003; March 13, 2003, read 
first time and referred to Committee on Government Organization; 
April 23, 2003, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6, 
Nays 0; April 23, 2003, sent to printer.)


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT


relating to a statistical or demographic analysis conducted by the 
Texas Legislative Council for a state agency and to information 
collected by the council in the course of performing the analysis.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 2113, Government Code, is 
amended by adding Section 2113.108 to read as follows:
	Sec. 2113.108.  CERTAIN STUDIES INVOLVING STATISTICAL OR 
DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS.  (a)  A state agency may not use appropriated 
money to contract with a consultant or other nongovernmental entity 
to perform or assist the agency in performing a statistical or 
demographic analysis of information collected by or for the agency 
in the course of conducting a study that the agency is required to 
conduct under state law unless the agency first contacts the Texas 
Legislative Council to determine whether the resources of the 
council are available to perform or assist the agency in performing 
that analysis.  For purposes of this section, performing a 
statistical or demographic analysis of information in the course of 
conducting a study includes designing the analysis and collecting 
the information required for purposes of the study.
	(b)  If the Texas Legislative Council determines that 
council resources are available to perform or assist the state 
agency in performing all or part of the statistical or demographic 
analysis, the agency must contract with the council to perform or 
assist the agency in performing that analysis to the extent that the 
council determines that council resources are available to the 
agency.
	SECTION 2.  Chapter 323, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Section 323.020 to read as follows:
	Sec. 323.020.  CONTRACTS TO PERFORM STATISTICAL OR 
DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS; CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION NOT AFFECTED.  
(a)  The council may determine whether and the extent to which 
council resources are available to perform or assist a state agency 
in performing a statistical or demographic analysis of information 
as described by Section 2113.108.
	(b)  Information that the council collects in relation to the 
statistical or demographic analysis that is confidential under 
state or federal law does not lose its confidential character 
because of its collection by the council, without regard to whether 
the council collected the information indirectly through the state 
agency or directly from another governmental or nongovernmental 
entity.  An entity that voluntarily provides information to the 
council for purposes of the analysis does not waive any exception 
from required disclosure or any privilege not to disclose the 
information, and the confidential character of the information is 
not affected by that action of the entity.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.



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