H.B. No. 194
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the consideration of ownership interests of 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:
                     (A)  is economically disadvantaged because of the
  person's identification as a member of a certain group, including:
                           (i)  Black Americans;
                           (ii)[,] Hispanic Americans;
                           (iii)[,] women;
                           (iv)[,] Asian Pacific Americans;
                           (v)[, and] Native Americans;[,] and
                           (vi)  veterans as defined by 38 U.S.C.
  Section 101(2) who have suffered at least a 20 percent
  service-connected disability as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section
  101(16); and
                     (B)  [who] has suffered the effects of
  discriminatory practices or other similar insidious circumstances
  over which the person has no control.
         SECTION 2.  Section 2161.002, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
         (d)  The comptroller shall adopt rules to provide goals for
  increasing the contract awards for the purchase of goods or
  services by the commission and other state agencies to businesses
  that qualify as historically underutilized businesses because the
  businesses are 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). The goals established under
  this subsection are in addition to the goals established under
  Subsection (c) and the goals established under Subsection (c) may
  not be reduced as a result of the establishment of goals under this
  subsection.
         SECTION 3.  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
  suffered at least a 20 percent service-connected disability as
  defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(16).
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 194 was passed by the House on May 9,
  2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 109, Nays 22, 3 present, not
  voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to
  H.B. No. 194 on May 24, 2013, and requested the appointment of a
  conference committee to consider the differences between the two
  houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report
  on H.B. No. 194 on May 26, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 137,
  Nays 8, 2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 194 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 22, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference
  committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and
  that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No.
  194 on May 26, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor