HBA-MSH H.B. 2748 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2748
By: Davis, John
Transportation
3/22/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, the commissioners of the Port of Houston Authority of
Harris County (commissioner) are not required to disclose certain financial
relationships with vendors.  It is impossible to know if a commissioner is
awarding a contract to a company in which the commissioner has a financial
stake and thus whether a potential conflict of interest exists.  House Bill
2748 requires a commissioner and certain bidding vendors to disclose
conflicts of interest. 

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 2748 amends law to require the Port Commission of the Port of
Houston Authority of Harris County to prescribe a conflicts disclosure
statement (statement) for vendors and port commissioners.  The bill
requires a port commissioner to disclose on the statement any employment or
other business relationship the commissioner has with a vendor who
participates as a bidder or in another manner in the purchasing procedures
used by the Authority if that relationship results in the commissioner's
receipt of taxable income from the vendor. The bill requires the port
commissioner to include on the statement a description of the nature and
extent of the relationship.  The bill sets forth deadlines and procedures
for the filing of a statement by a port commissioner and by a vendor cited
in a statement of the port commissioner. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.