82R7266 VOO-D

By: Farias H.B. No. 1096

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to considering ownership interests of certain disabled veterans in determining whether a business is a historically underutilized business for purposes of state contracting.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 2161.001(3), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(3) "Economically disadvantaged person" means a person who is economically disadvantaged because of the person's identification as a member of a certain group, including Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, women, Asian Pacific Americans, [and] Native Americans, and veterans as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(2) who have a service-connected disability as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(16), and who has suffered the effects of discriminatory practices or other similar insidious circumstances over which the person has no control.

SECTION 2. Section 2161.125, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 2161.125. CATEGORIZATION OF HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES [BY SEX, RACE, AND ETHNICITY]. The comptroller, in cooperation with each state agency reporting under this subchapter, shall categorize each historically underutilized business included in a report under this subchapter by sex, race, and ethnicity and by whether the business qualifies as a historically underutilized business because it is owned or owned, operated, and controlled, as applicable, wholly or partly by one or more veterans as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(2) who have a service-connected disability as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(16).

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.