BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1069

By: Jackson

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that the current reporting requirements regarding awards made under the emerging technology fund are confusing because those provisions require the reporting on an annual basis of different types of information covering different time periods.  S.B. 1069 seeks to address the perceived inconsistencies in the reporting requirements by requiring all information to be reported annually for the same time period in each case.

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

S.B. 1069 amends the Government Code, in a provision requiring the governor to submit an annual report regarding awards made from the Texas emerging technology fund and to post the report on the office of the governor's Internet website, to change the deadline for submitting and posting that report from not later than January 1 to not later than January 31 of each year and to require the submission of that report specifically to the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing committee of each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over economic development matters, rather than to the legislature in general. The bill changes the period covered by the annual report to include information about awards made under the fund during each preceding state fiscal year, rather than information about the fund for the preceding three state fiscal years. The bill requires the report to contain a brief description regarding the intended outcomes of projects funded with money from the fund used specifically as incentives for commercialization activities during each preceding state fiscal year, rather than during the preceding two state fiscal years, and the actual outcomes of all such similarly funded projects during each preceding state fiscal year, rather than during the fund's existence.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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