HBA-LJP H.B. 2946 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2946
By: Capelo
State Affairs
3/21/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Texas state agencies with fewer than 100 employees face unique problems in
carrying out required administrative support functions such as accounting,
budgeting, purchasing, and human resource administration.  These small
agencies often have to perform the same complex administrative tasks as
large agencies, but with fewer resources and people.  Current law requires
all state agencies to submit as many as 25 administrative reports per year
to oversight bodies and service agencies.  Allowing small state agencies to
contract out for these type of duties may assist the agency in carrying out
its administrative functions more efficiently.  House Bill 2946 provides
for a small state agency's acquisition of services through group contracts
or interagency agreements. 

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 2946 amends the Government Code to require the State Council on
Competitive Government (council) to review the administration functions of
small state agencies to determine the cost-effectiveness of acquiring these
services through a group contract or an interagency agreement.  If the
council determines that a service may be acquired in a more cost-effective
manner through a group contract or an interagency agreement, the bill
requires the council to prescribe the specifications and conditions of a
small state agency's acquisition of a service through a group contract or
an interagency agreement.  The bill also requires the council, in
performing its duties, to examine alternatives in the private sector and
among other state agencies, solicit advice and cooperation from the Small
State Agency Task Force, and include in its review certain small state
agencies and from those agencies, designate a small state agency to lead
the coordination of the review. 

The bill creates an interagency task force (task force) to provide advice
on the simplification of small state agency reporting procedures.  The task
force is required to report before November 1 in each evennumbered year, to
the governor, the legislature, and the comptroller on statutory changes
required to implement the recommendations of the task force. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.