HBA-DMD H.B. 127 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 127
By: McClendon
Corrections
7/30/99
Enrolled



BACKGROUND & PURPOSE 

In 1997, Texas inmates performed more than 3 million hours of work on
public projects. Prior to the 76th Legislature, the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice (department) was required to seek contracts with agencies
and local governments in order to provide inmate labor to those agencies
and governments.  H.B. 127 requires the department when seeking projects
for the use of inmate labor to give priority to those projects that benefit
the public.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate  any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 497.091(b), Government Code, to require the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice to give priority to the use of inmate
labor while seeking contracts for service projects that benefit the public,
when seeking contracts with agencies and local governments to provide
inmate labor. 

SECTION 2.  Emergency clause.
            Effective date: upon passage.