BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 326

By: Guillen

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Under current law, a state agency being reviewed by the Sunset Advisory Commission is not required to submit a report to the governor, lieutenant governor, or members of the legislature relating to sunset issues.  Such agencies are required only to submit a report to the commission, and that report contains only the information that addresses the application to the agency.

H.B. 326 expands the reporting requirement for state agencies undergoing sunset review by requiring each agency submitting a report to the commission to submit its report also to the governor, lieutenant governor, and members of the legislature and by requiring that report to include a list of each agency report required by statute and an evaluation of the need for each report. 

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. 326 amends the Government Code to require a state agency subject to abolishment under the Texas Sunset Act, before September 1 of the odd-numbered year before the year in which the agency is abolished, to submit to the Sunset Advisory Commission, the governor, the lieutenant governor, and each member of the legislature a report that lists each report the agency is required by law to prepare and that evaluates the need for each report based on whether factors or conditions have changed since the date the statutory requirement to prepare the report was enacted.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary votes, September 1, 2011.