Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2213 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Huffman S.B. No. 2213
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to state fiscal matters related to general government.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	ARTICLE 1. REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURES AND IMPOSITION OF CHARGES
9	9	GENERALLY
10	10	SECTION 1.01. This article applies to any state agency that
11	11	receives an appropriation under Article I of the General
12	12	Appropriations Act.
13	13	SECTION 1.02. Notwithstanding any other statute of this
14	14	state, each state agency to which this article applies is
15	15	authorized to reduce or recover expenditures by:
16	16	(1) consolidating any reports or publications the
17	17	agency is required to make and filing or delivering any of those
18	18	reports or publications exclusively by electronic means;
19	19	(2) extending the effective period of any license,
20	20	permit, or registration the agency grants or administers;
21	21	(3) entering into a contract with another governmental
22	22	entity or with a private vendor to carry out any of the agency's
23	23	duties;
24	24	(4) adopting additional eligibility requirements for
25	25	persons who receive benefits under any law the agency administers
26	26	to ensure that those benefits are received by the most deserving
27	27	persons consistent with the purposes for which the benefits are
28	28	provided;
29	29	(5) providing that any communication between the
30	30	agency and another person and any document required to be delivered
31	31	to or by the agency, including any application, notice, billing
32	32	statement, receipt, or certificate, may be made or delivered by
33	33	e-mail or through the Internet; and
34	34	(6) adopting and collecting fees or charges to cover
35	35	any costs the agency incurs in performing its lawful functions.
36	36	ARTICLE 2. STATE DEBT
37	37	SECTION 2.01. Chapter 1231, Government Code, is amended by
38	38	adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
39	39	SUBCHAPTER G. LIMIT ON STATE DEBT PAYABLE FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND
40	40	Sec. 1231.151. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
41	41	(1) "Maximum annual debt service" means the limitation
42	42	on annual debt service imposed by Section 49-j(a), Article III,
43	43	Texas Constitution.
44	44	(2) "State debt payable from the general revenue fund"
45	45	has the meaning assigned by Section 49-j(b), Article III, Texas
46	46	Constitution.
47	47	(3) "Unissued debt" means state debt payable from the
48	48	general revenue fund that has been authorized but not issued.
49	49	Sec. 1231.152. COMPUTATION OF DEBT LIMIT. In computing the
50	50	annual debt service in a state fiscal year on state debt payable
51	51	from the general revenue fund for purposes of determining whether
52	52	additional state debt may be authorized without exceeding the
53	53	maximum annual debt service, the board may employ any assumptions
54	54	related to unissued debt that the board determines are necessary to
55	55	reflect common or standard debt issuance practices authorized by
56	56	law, including assumptions regarding:
57	57	(1) interest rates;
58	58	(2) debt maturity; and
59	59	(3) debt service payment structures.
60	60	Sec. 1231.153. REPORT ON COMPUTATION. (a) The board shall
61	61	publish during each state fiscal year a report providing a detailed
62	62	description of the method used to compute the annual debt service in
63	63	that fiscal year on state debt payable from the general revenue fund
64	64	for purposes of determining whether additional state debt may be
65	65	authorized. The report must describe:
66	66	(1) the debt service included in the computation,
67	67	including debt service on issued and unissued debt;
68	68	(2) the assumptions on which the debt service on
69	69	unissued debt was based; and
70	70	(3) any other factors required by law that affect the
71	71	computation.
72	72	(b) The board may publish the report required by this
73	73	section as a component of any other report required by law,
74	74	including the annual report required by Section 1231.102, or as an
75	75	independent report. The board shall make the report available to
76	76	the public.
77	77	SECTION 2.02. The Bond Review Board shall publish the
78	78	initial report required by Section 1231.153, Government Code, as
79	79	added by this article, during the state fiscal year beginning
80	80	September 1, 2017.
81	81	SECTION 2.03. This article takes effect immediately if this
82	82	Act receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
83	83	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
84	84	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
85	85	effect, this article takes effect September 1, 2017.
86	86	ARTICLE 3. FISCAL MATTERS RELATING TO MAIL
87	87	SECTION 3.01. Subchapter A, Chapter 2176, Government Code,
88	88	is amended by adding Section 2176.007 to read as follows:
89	89	Sec. 2176.007. COMPTROLLER STUDY ON MAIL OPERATIONS. (a)
90	90	The comptroller shall conduct a study on the mail operations of each
91	91	state agency in the executive branch of state government that
92	92	receives an appropriation made under ARTICLE I of the General
93	93	Appropriations Act. The study must identify provisions of law
94	94	relating to the mailing requirements for the agency that impede the
95	95	efficient transmission and receipt of documents by the agency.
96	96	(b) In conducting the study, the comptroller shall
97	97	collaborate with other state agencies to consider the needs or
98	98	concerns specific to those agencies.
99	99	(c) Not later than November 1, 2018, the comptroller shall
100	100	post the findings of the study conducted under this section on the
101	101	comptroller's Internet website.
102	102	(d) This section expires September 1, 2019.
103	103	SECTION 3.02. This article takes effect immediately if
104	104	this Act receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to
105	105	each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
106	106	Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
107	107	immediate effect, this article takes effect September 1, 2017.
108	108	ARTICLE 4. FISCAL MATTERS CONCERNING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
109	109	SECTION 4.01. Section 2054.380(b), Government Code, is
110	110	amended to read as follows:
111	111	(b) Revenue derived from the collection of fees imposed
112	112	under Subsection (a) may be appropriated to the department for:
113	113	(1) developing statewide information resources
114	114	technology policies and planning under this chapter and Chapter
115	115	2059; and
116	116	(2) providing shared information resources technology
117	117	services [under this chapter].
118	118	SECTION 4.02. Section 2157.068(d), Government Code, is
119	119	amended to read as follows:
120	120	(d) The department may charge a reasonable administrative
121	121	fee to a state agency, political subdivision of this state, or
122	122	governmental entity of another state that purchases commodity items
123	123	through the department in an amount that is sufficient to recover
124	124	costs associated with the administration of this section. Revenue
125	125	derived from the collection of fees imposed under this subsection
126	126	may be appropriated to the department for:
127	127	(1) developing statewide information resources
128	128	technology policies and planning [under Chapters 2054 and 2059];
129	129	and
130	130	(2) providing shared information resources technology
131	131	services [under Chapter 2054].
132	132	SECTION 4.03. Section 2170.057(d), Government Code, is
133	133	amended to read as follows:
134	134	(d) The department shall maintain in the revolving fund
135	135	account sufficient amounts to pay the bills of the consolidated
136	136	telecommunications system and the centralized capitol complex
137	137	telephone system. The department shall certify amounts that exceed
138	138	this amount to the comptroller, and the comptroller shall transfer
139	139	the excess amounts to the credit of the general revenue fund.
140	140	SECTION 4.04. This article takes effect immediately if this
141	141	Act receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
142	142	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
143	143	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
144	144	effect, this article takes effect September 1, 2017.
145	145	ARTICLE 5. EFFECTIVE DATE
146	146	SECTION 5.01. Except as otherwise provided by this Act,
147	147	this Act takes effect September 1, 2017.