| 1 | 1 | | 81R4906 JRD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 737 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to conducting a study to improve transparency in the |
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| 8 | 8 | | state's budgeting process and electronic access to information |
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| 9 | 9 | | about the state budget. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. STUDY. (a) The governor and the Legislative |
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| 12 | 12 | | Budget Board jointly shall lead a collaborative study concerning |
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| 13 | 13 | | improved transparency in the state's budgeting process and improved |
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| 14 | 14 | | electronic access to information about the state budget. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) In addition to the governor and the Legislative Budget |
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| 16 | 16 | | Board, the following state officers, agencies, and institutions |
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| 17 | 17 | | each shall designate one or more appropriate representatives to |
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| 18 | 18 | | participate in the study as a member of a study team: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) the comptroller; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) the Department of Information Resources; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) the Texas Legislative Council; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (4) the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs; |
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| 23 | 23 | | and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (5) any other state officer, agency, or institution |
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| 25 | 25 | | invited by the governor or the Legislative Budget Board to |
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| 26 | 26 | | participate in the study. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) The study team must generally address improving |
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| 28 | 28 | | transparency and electronic access to information in connection |
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| 29 | 29 | | with the process of developing the state's budget, the writing and |
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| 30 | 30 | | consideration by the legislature of the general appropriations |
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| 31 | 31 | | bill, and the expenditure of appropriated funds by the agencies and |
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| 32 | 32 | | institutions of state government. In particular, the study team |
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| 33 | 33 | | must address: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) how to better provide to members of the public and |
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| 35 | 35 | | decision-makers information and analysis about all types of state |
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| 36 | 36 | | budgetary information, with an emphasis on providing useful |
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| 37 | 37 | | information and analysis about the 25 state programs that account |
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| 38 | 38 | | for the greatest amount of state expenditures; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2) how to better provide members of the legislature, |
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| 40 | 40 | | legislative staff, state agencies, members of the press, and |
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| 41 | 41 | | members of the public timely electronic access in an open standards |
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| 42 | 42 | | format to proposed riders, proposed line-item appropriations, and |
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| 43 | 43 | | reports concerning the general appropriations bill throughout any |
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| 44 | 44 | | session of the legislature in which the general appropriations bill |
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| 45 | 45 | | is being considered for adoption; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3) any enhancements and additions to information |
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| 47 | 47 | | technologies employed by the legislative and executive branches of |
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| 48 | 48 | | state government that would be necessary to improve access and |
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| 49 | 49 | | transparency in the manner recommended by the team. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (d) The comptroller and the Legislative Budget Board shall |
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| 51 | 51 | | develop cost estimates for the study team's recommendations. |
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| 52 | 52 | | (e) The governor and the Legislative Budget Board shall |
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| 53 | 53 | | report the results of the study, including the study team's |
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| 54 | 54 | | recommendations and the comptroller's and Legislative Budget |
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| 55 | 55 | | Board's cost estimates for the recommendations, to the lieutenant |
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| 56 | 56 | | governor and each member of the legislature by June 1, 2010. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 2. EXPIRATION. This Act expires September 1, 2011. |
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| 58 | 58 | | SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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| 59 | 59 | | 1, 2009. |
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