BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 2357
	By: Lucio
	Intergovernmental Relations
	4/18/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Every session, numerous bills are filed that make various changes to statute impacting specific counties, political subdivisions, and other governmental entities. In addition to these bills, other revisions to general laws impacting the governance of counties, political subdivisions, and other entities are filed, including those that modify provisions impacting different units of government.

S.B. 2357 seeks to continue the practice of revising both general and specific statute to ensure they are keeping with accepted practices, and makes numerous revisions to various laws impacting the state, counties, political subdivisions, and other governmental entities.

As proposed, S.B. 2357 amends current law relating to issues affecting counties and other political subdivisions of the state.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Sections 418.005(a), (b), (c), and (e), Government Code, as follows:

(a) Provides that this section applies only to certain specified persons, including an emergency management coordinator designated under Section 418.1015(c) by the emergency management director of a county with a population of 500,000 or more. Creates Subdivision (1) from existing text and redesignates existing Subdivisions (1) and (2) as Paragraphs (A) and (B) and makes a nonsubstantive change.

(b) Requires each person described by Subsection (a) to complete a course of training provided or approved by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) of not less than three hours regarding the responsibilities of state and local governments under this chapter not later than the 180th day after the date the person performs certain actions, including being designated as an emergency management coordinator under Section 418.1015(c). Makes nonsubstantive changes.

(c) Requires TDEM to develop and provide a training course related to the emergency management responsibilities of state-level officers and a training course related to the emergency management responsibilities of officers and emergency management coordinators of political subdivisions, rather than related to the emergency management responsibilities of officers of political subdivisions.

(e) Requires TDEM or other entity providing the training to provide a certificate of course completion to a person who completes the training required by this section, rather than public officers who complete the training required by this section and makes conforming changes.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 418.102, Government Code, by adding Subsection (a-1), to require an emergency management program required by Subsection (a) and maintained by a county, or in which a county participates, to provide for catastrophic debris management.

SECTION 3. Amends Section 245.007(a), Local Government Code, to provide that this section applies only to a building or facility that is owned by a county with a population of 2.3 million, rather than 3.3 million, or more and is located within the boundaries of another political subdivision.

SECTION 4. Amends Section 262.0225, Local Government Code, by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1), as follows:

(c) Creates an exception under Subsection (c-1) to the requirement that a county accept any bids or proposals submitted in hard-copy format.

(c-1) Authorizes a commissioners court of a county to by order require submission of bids or proposals under this subchapter (Competitive Bidding in General) through electronic transmission.

SECTION 5. Amends Section 387.003(a-1), Local Government Code, to authorize a district to perform inside or outside the district a function that benefits the district and that the county is authorized to perform, including certain functions, rather than authorizing a district to perform certain functions in the district.

SECTION 6. Amends Section 391.0095(e), Local Government Code, to delete a reference to the comptroller of public accounts of the State of Texas, as a recipient of certain reports and audits.

SECTION 7. Requires each person who is required to complete a course of training under Section 418.005, Government Code, as amended by this Act, to do so not later than March 1, 2020

SECTION 8. Effective date: September 1, 2019.