HBA-AMW H.B. 2724 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2724 By: Junell State Affairs 4/11/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Texas Information Resources Management Act requires state agencies and universities to submit biennial operating plans (BOPs) to the Department of Information Resources (DIR). A BOP is a tool for a state agency or university to use in planning for the appropriate use of information resources to support its mission, goals, and objectives. Currently, the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) contracts with DIR to evaluate and review strategic plans for information resources management and BOPs for state agencies. However, LBB may not have the flexibility to make BOPs consistent with legislative appropriations requests or to align the administration of state agency strategic plans for information resources with LBB's existing oversight of state agency strategic plans. House Bill 2724 transfers from DIR to LBB oversight of state agency BOPs and strategic plans for information resources management. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 2724 amends the Government Code to transfer from the Department of Information Resources (DIR) to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) certain responsibilities regarding state agency (agency) operating plans and strategic plans for information resources management (strategic plan). The bill transfers from DIR to LBB the authority to prescribe the format for agency strategic plans and to evaluate the plan. The bill authorizes LBB to report to the agency, the governor, the state auditor, and the presiding officer of each house of the legislature that an agency strategic plan or plan amendment is not best suited to the agency's execution of its own duty. The bill adds LBB to the entities to which an agency is required to send its strategic plan and repeals law relating to the approval or disapproval of an agency's strategic plan by DIR. The bill requires each agency to submit to LBB, rather than DIR, a biennial operating plan (BOP) each state fiscal biennium in accordance with the directions of LBB and removes the deadline for submitting the plan. The bill transfers from DIR to LBB the authority to evaluate the BOPs of agencies and to provide instructions to agencies regarding preparation of a BOP. The bill requires each agency to send a copy of its BOP and of any amendments to the plan, as approved by LBB, to DIR not later than the 30th day after the date LBB approves the plan or amendment. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.