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          A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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          AN ACT
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        relating to the threshold contract amount at which a county is  | 
      
      
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        required to engage in a competitive purchasing procedure for  | 
      
      
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        certain purchases. | 
      
      
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               BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
      
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               SECTION 1.  Sections 252.312(b) and (c), Transportation  | 
      
      
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        Code, are amended to read as follows: | 
      
      
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               (b)  If the county road engineer so recommends and the  | 
      
      
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        commissioners court considers it to be in the best interest of the  | 
      
      
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        county, a purchase in an amount of $50,000 [$25,000] or less may be  | 
      
      
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        made through negotiation by the commissioners court or the court's  | 
      
      
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        authorized representative on requisition to be approved by the  | 
      
      
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        commissioners court or the county auditor without advertising for  | 
      
      
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        competitive bids. | 
      
      
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               (c)  A purchase may not be divided or reduced to avoid the  | 
      
      
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        competitive bidding requirement on a purchase that would otherwise  | 
      
      
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        cost more than $50,000 [$25,000]. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only  | 
      
      
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        to a purchase commenced on or after September 1, 2019.  A purchase  | 
      
      
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        for which competitive bids are advertised before September 1, 2019,  | 
      
      
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        is governed by the law in effect on the date the bids were  | 
      
      
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        advertised, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |