BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1400

By: Hefner

Culture, Recreation & Tourism

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding the transparency of certain financial information maintained by the General Land Office relating to the administration of the Alamo complex. C.S.H.B. 1400 seeks to address this issue by providing for monthly expense reports.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

C.S.H.B. 1400 amends the Natural Resources Code to require the General Land Office (GLO) and any other state agency that in any month uses money appropriated or donated to the agency by a public or private entity to pay an expense incurred by the agency during the preceding month for the preservation, maintenance, or restoration of the Alamo or Alamo complex to prepare a monthly report detailing the expense. The bill requires a report to be submitted in the format required by the GLO not later than the third business day of the month following the month in which an expense is incurred. The report must include:

·         the date the expense was incurred;

·         the amount charged;

·         the name of the vendor who billed for the expense; and

·         a brief description of the expense.

The bill requires the GLO to post each submitted monthly report on the GLO website not later than the fifth business day after the date the report is submitted by posting a link to the report on the GLO home page.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1400 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute does not include a provision requiring any public or private entity that enters into an agreement with the state to provide a service or other benefit to preserve, maintain, or restore the Alamo or Alamo complex to submit to the GLO a monthly report detailing any service or benefit provided during the preceding month for those purposes.