BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2156

By: Raymond

State Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that when state agencies and other governmental entities purchase a U.S. or Texas flag, they should ensure that the flag is American-made so that tax dollars are supporting domestic manufacturers and workers. C.S.H.B. 2156 seeks to require flags purchased by state agencies and governmental entities are domestically produced, with first preference given to flags manufactured in Texas.

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. 2156 amends the Government Code and Local Government Code to require an applicable state agency or governmental agency purchasing a U.S. or Texas flag to give first preference to flags manufactured in Texas using materials grown, produced, or manufactured in Texas to the extent reasonable and practicable and give second preference to flags manufactured in Texas or the United States using materials grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2156 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 original required a U.S. flag purchased by a state agency or political subdivision to be manufactured in the United States using materials grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States and established a substantially similar requirement with respect to the purchase of a Texas flag. The substitute instead establishes a tiered preference for those purchases by which a state agency or political subdivision must give first preference when purchasing a U.S. or Texas flag to flags manufactured in Texas using materials grown, produced, or manufactured in Texas to the extent reasonable and practicable and to give second preference to other domestically manufactured flags.