HBA-TYH H.B. 1862 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1862 By: Gutierrez State Affairs 3/12/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law allows governmental bodies to deliberate real estate transactions (discussions regarding the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of land) in closed meetings, because open discussions of how much a governmental body would be willing to pay or accept for property could put them at a negotiating disadvantage. While this exception was not intended to be used to negotiate private deals without public input or debate, it has raised the question of whether or not the exception is necessary when all parties to a transaction are governmental bodies. H.B. 1862 removes the exception allowing closed meetings for real estate transactions if both parties to the transaction are governmental bodies. 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 551.072, Government Code, by creating Subsection (a) from existing text and adding Subsection (b) to provide that if each party to the proposed purchase, exchange, or lease is a governmental body, then Subsection (a), pertaining to the authorization of a governmental body to conduct a closed meeting to deliberate proposed real property transactions, does not apply. SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.