Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1931 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R9927 YDB-F
2	2	By: Thierry H.B. No. 1931
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the duties of the State Energy Conservation Office
8	8	regarding advanced clean energy project grants and loans and the
9	9	creation of an inclusion task force for the energy industry.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 447.013, Government Code, is amended by
12	12	amending Subsection (i) and adding Subsections (k), (l), and (m) to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(i) A recipient of a grant or loan under this section is
15	15	encouraged to purchase goods and services from small businesses, as
16	16	that term is defined by Section 481.401, and historically
17	17	underutilized businesses, as that term is defined by Section
18	18	2161.001 [those terms are defined by former Section 481.191, as
19	19	that section existed on January 1, 2015].
20	20	(k) The State Energy Conservation Office shall require each
21	21	recipient of a grant awarded or loan made under this section, as a
22	22	condition for receipt of the grant or loan, to annually submit a
23	23	detailed plan for increasing procurements from historically
24	24	underutilized businesses in renewable energy, advanced
25	25	technologies, and demonstration and other clean energy projects.
26	26	The plan:
27	27	(1) must include short-term and long-term goals,
28	28	schedules for completing stages of the procurement contract, and
29	29	methods for encouraging general contractors and grant or loan
30	30	recipients to engage historically underutilized businesses in
31	31	subcontracts for renewable energy, advanced technologies, and
32	32	demonstration and other clean energy projects; and
33	33	(2) may not include a requirement that the recipient
34	34	of the grant or loan achieve a specified number or percentage of
35	35	procurements from historically underutilized businesses compared
36	36	to the recipient's total procurements.
37	37	(l) The State Energy Conservation Office shall require as a
38	38	condition for receipt of a grant or loan under this section that
39	39	each recipient submit an annual report to the office, in the form
40	40	and not later than the date required by the office, regarding
41	41	implementation of the plan established under Subsection (k). The
42	42	recipient shall post the report on the recipient's Internet website
43	43	and the office shall post a copy of the report on the office's
44	44	Internet website.
45	45	(m) The State Energy Conservation Office shall:
46	46	(1) develop guidelines to be used by each grant or loan
47	47	recipient in establishing the plan under Subsection (k); and
48	48	(2) develop and require every grant or loan recipient
49	49	to implement an outreach program to inform historically
50	50	underutilized businesses of the actions necessary to apply for
51	51	procurement contracts under this section.
52	52	SECTION 2. Chapter 447, Government Code, is amended by
53	53	adding Section 447.014 to read as follows:
54	54	Sec. 447.014. INCLUSION TASK FORCE FOR ENERGY INDUSTRY.
55	55	(a) In this section, "diverse" and "diversity" mean the inclusion
56	56	of different types of people, including:
57	57	(1) black Americans;
58	58	(2) Hispanic Americans;
59	59	(3) Native Americans;
60	60	(4) Asian Pacific Americans;
61	61	(5) women; and
62	62	(6) veterans, as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(2),
63	63	who have suffered at least a 20 percent service-connected
64	64	disability, as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(16).
65	65	(b) The State Energy Conservation Office shall establish an
66	66	inclusion task force to consider and make recommendations on
67	67	diversity in the energy industry, including diversity of corporate
68	68	governing boards and procurement from diverse businesses.
69	69	(c) The inclusion task force shall:
70	70	(1) identify and promote energy companies that are
71	71	actively engaged in diversity issues;
72	72	(2) explore the status of diverse representation on
73	73	energy company governing boards;
74	74	(3) recommend actions for the State Energy
75	75	Conservation Office to encourage energy companies to increase
76	76	procurement from diverse suppliers; and
77	77	(4) make recommendations to the office regarding
78	78	legislation to accomplish diversity as described by Subsection (b).
79	79	SECTION 3. Section 447.013, Government Code, as amended by
80	80	this Act, applies only to a grant awarded or loan made on or after
81	81	the effective date of this Act.
82	82	SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date
83	83	of this Act, the State Energy Conservation Office shall establish
84	84	the inclusion task force as required by Section 447.014, Government
85	85	Code, as added by this Act.
86	86	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.