By: Meza H.B. No. 1565
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the consideration of ownership interests of certain
  persons with disabilities 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)  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
                           (vii)  persons with a disability as defined
  by 42 U.S.C. Section 12102; and
 
                     (B)  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 (e) to read as follows:
         (e)  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 persons with a
  disability as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 12102.  The goals
  established under this subsection are in addition to the goals
  established under Subsections (c) and (d), and the goals
  established under Subsections (c) and (d) may not be reduced as a
  result of the establishment of goals under this subsection.
         SECTION 3.  Section 2161.061, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:
         (f)  To be certified by the commission as a historically
  underutilized business, a business owned by one or more persons who
  qualify as economically disadvantaged solely based on being a
  person with a disability must submit to the commission an affidavit
  from the physician of each owner claiming a disability verifying
  that owner's disability.
         SECTION 4.  Section 2161.125, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 2161.125.  CATEGORIZATION OF HISTORICALLY
  UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES. 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 persons with a
  disability as defined by 42 U.S.C.
  Section 12102 or 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 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.