AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Under current law, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is authorized to microfilm state and local government records and is required to operate the state records center for the economical and efficient storage, accessibility, protection, and final disposition of inactive and vital state records. TSLAC does not have the authority, however, to store local government records. As a result, TSLAC cannot accommodate requests from local government seeking to store their records at the center.
H.B. 1844 authorizes TSLAC to store the records of local governments, in addition to those of state agencies, and requires TSLAC to establish fees sufficient to cover the costs of administering and expanding the storage of local government records.
H.B. 1844 allows TSLAC to store the records of Travis County and other local governments, in addition to the records of state agencies, and charge fees to cover the costs of storing local government records. Travis County believes that the cost to store some of its records with TSLAC would be lower than continuing to use the current provider under contract. In addition to saving money for local governments, it is estimated to generate revenue of $198,000 per year for the next five years, according to the fiscal note.
H.B. 1844 amends current law relating to storage of local government records by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 441.168, Government Code, as follows:
Sec. 441.168. New heading: MICROFILMING AND STORING LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS. (a) Authorizes the director and librarian, on request of a local government, to provide for the microfilming or storage of the local government records of that local government.
(b) Requires the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to establish fees for the microfilming and storage of local government records in amounts sufficient to cover the costs of administering and expanding the microfilming and storage services of the records management division in the state library for the purpose of implementing Subsection (a). Requires that the fees received under this section be deposited in the state treasury in an account to be used only for the costs of administering, rather than administrating, and expanding microfilming and storage services.
(c) Authorizes the director and librarian to allow the state records center to provide for the economical and efficient storage, accessibility, protection, and final disposition of inactive and vital local government records under this section.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2011.