BILL ANALYSIS
By: Swinford
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The Texas Department of Information Resources is governed by a seven member board. Two groups of three ex officio members representing specific state agencies also serve on the board. The first group consists of the commissioner of Workers’ Compensation, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission, and the executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. The second group consists of the Commissioner of Education, the executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the executive director of the Parks and Wildlife Department.
The Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission was merged into the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) in 2005, becoming a division within TDI. House Bill 675 would designate the Commissioner of Insurance in place of the Commissioner of Workers' Compensation as an ex officio member.
The ex officio members named above may designate the agency’s Information Resources Manager (IRM) to serve in the member’s place. Another senior manager may be designated as the agency IRM to serve as the ex officio representative, but the continuing education requirements for IRMs complicate this approach. H.B. 675 would also allow a designated employee on the management or senior staff level to serve as an ex officio representative.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
House Bill 675 amends the Government Code to replace the Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation with the Commissioner of Insurance as an ex officio member of the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) board. The bill allows ex officio members of the DIR board to designate an employee on the management or senior staff level to serve as an ex officio representative.
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2007.