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Amend HR 4 (adopting the permanent rules of the house) in Rule 4 (page 67, between lines 1 and 2), by inserting the following appropriately lettered section:
Sec. ____. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF COMMITTEE TESTIMONY. (a) The Texas Legislative Council shall assist the Committee on House Administration in providing a link to be posted on the public Internet website of the house to allow a person to access an Internet page on which the person may submit electronic testimony regarding a bill or resolution that is pending before a house committee or subcommittee.
(b) The Internet page must require a person submitting electronic testimony to provide the following:
(1) the name of the committee or subcommittee that is considering the bill or resolution;
(2) the number of the bill or resolution for which the person is providing testimony and whether the person is for, against, or neutral on the measure;
(3) the name, address, and telephone number of the person;
(4) whether the person is providing testimony on the person's own behalf or on behalf of any other person, organization, business, class of persons, or group;
(5) the type of business, profession, or occupation in which the person is engaged, if the person is providing the testimony on the person's own behalf;
(6) a secure acknowledgment by the person that the submitted testimony is a sworn statement that is true and correct; and
(7) any other information required by the procedural rules of the house for a witness testifying in person before a committee.
(c) The council shall assist the Committee on House Administration in ensuring that electronic testimony may be submitted under this section only when the bill or resolution is pending before the applicable committee or subcommittee, but not later than the time at which a public hearing to consider the measure is posted to begin.
(d) The council shall assist the Committee on House Administration in ensuring that electronic testimony submitted under this section is immediately forwarded to the committee e-mail address of the clerk of the committee or subcommittee in which the bill or resolution is pending.
(e) Electronic testimony submitted under this section shall be considered for all purposes as if it were provided in person by a witness appearing before the committee or subcommittee.