LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 84TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 22, 2015

TO:
Honorable Gary Elkins, Chair, House Committee on Government Transparency & Operation
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB546 by White, James (Relating to a prohibition on state contracting for goods produced through forced labor; providing penalties.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Government Code to prohibit a state agency and a vendor who contracts with the state from entering into a contract for goods wholly or partially created by forced labor. The bill requires a state agency to include in each contract for goods a provision specifying that goods furnished to the state under the contract may not be produced wholly or partly by forced labor and a certification from the vendor that the vendor has not used forced labor in the making of the goods. The bill sets out provisions for penalties for a vendor who contracts with the state and is found to violate these provisions. Based on a sample of state agencies, no significant fiscal impact to the state is anticipated. State agencies could amend existing contracts, and the State Office of Administrative Hearings could conduct hearings related to violations of the new contract provisions within existing resources.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.


Source Agencies:
303 Facilities Commission, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 313 Department of Information Resources, 320 Texas Workforce Commission, 360 State Office of Administrative Hearings, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 601 Department of Transportation, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration
LBB Staff:
UP, FR, JI, KMc, ER