BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3512

By: Dunnam

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law requires each state agency in Texas that receives at least $175 million from general appropriations to create and maintain an Internet website to increase government transparency and inform the public about agency duties and procedures.  Current law only requires the agencies to post agency rules from the Texas Administrative Code and other written procedures that are not included in the administrative code.

H.B. 3512 requires such an agency to post electronic links to provisions of the Texas Constitution and Texas statutes that relate to the agency to enable the public to access all related relevant information easily.

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

H.B. 3512 amends the Government Code to require each state agency in the executive or judicial branches, other than an institution of higher education, that receives an aggregate amount of appropriations in the General Appropriations Act for a state fiscal biennium that exceeds $175 million, to post on the home page of its Internet site an electronic link to the provisions of the Texas Constitution as published in the electronic version of the constitution hosted by the Texas Legislative Council that authorize, govern, control, or mention the agency or an agency program or project, and the provisions of statutes as published in the electronic version of state laws hosted by the Texas Legislative Council that authorize, govern, control, or mention the agency or an agency program or project.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.