BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 1781

By: Price

Government Efficiency & Reform

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Current law requires a wide variety of governmental entities to submit various reports.  The number of required reports grows each year and some reports are duplicative.  Other reports are obsolete and no longer useful because related programs or funds have been abolished or because programs and services have changed.

 

C.S.H.B. 1781 seeks to identify obsolete or redundant reporting requirements applicable to state agencies.

 

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

 

C.S.H.B. 1781 amends the Government Code to add a temporary provision, set to expire September 1, 2014, requiring the executive director of each state agency, not later than August 1, 2012, to examine the agency's reporting requirements established by a state statute enacted before January 1, 2009, and not amended since that date and identify each reporting requirement that the executive director determines is not necessary to accomplish the objectives of the statute containing the reporting requirement, is redundant of other statutory reporting requirements, or  is required under statute to be provided at a frequency for which data is not available. The bill requires the executive director of each state agency, not later than August 1, 2012, to provide to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, chair of the House Committee on Government Efficiency and Reform, chair of the Senate Committee on Government Organization, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and Legislative Budget Board an electronic report that includes each statutory reporting requirement for which the executive director made a determination and the justification for the determination for each reporting requirement. The bill prohibits the executive director from including in the initial report a reporting requirement that is required by federal law. The bill defines "executive director" and "state agency."

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2011.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

C.S.H.B. 1781 differs from the original by requiring the executive director of a state agency to provide an electronic report relating to agency reporting requirements to the chair of the House Committee on Government Efficiency and Reform, chair of the Senate Committee on Government Organization, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and Legislative Budget Board, in addition to the other listed officials, whereas the original requires such executive director to provide that report to each member of the senate and house of representatives, in addition to the other listed officials.

 

C.S.H.B. 1781 omits a provision included in the original prohibiting the executive director from including in the initial report a reporting requirement that also applies to another state agency.