BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2810

By: Toth

Corrections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) currently repairs and refurbishes surplus data processing equipment and provides the refurbished equipment to school districts, state agencies, or political subdivisions without charge.  Interested parties report that, in response to a state auditor's office report that found that TDCJ was not in compliance with requirements to recover program costs from the recipients of the equipment, TDCJ determined to consult with the legislature to discuss whether the current practice should be changed since charging fees may reduce program participation. H.B. 2810 seeks to address this issue.

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. 2810 amends the Government Code to authorize, rather than require, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to sell data processing equipment that the department repairs or refurbishes to certain entities in a specific order of preference and includes a 501c(3) among such entities. The bill repeals a provision relating to the requirement that the sales price of such repaired or refurbished data processing equipment or the components of such equipment be sufficient to defray the cost of repairing, refurbishing, or disassembling the equipment.

H.B. 2810 repeals Section 497.012(e), Government Code.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.