Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4998 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R15701 CXP-D
2	2	By: Reynolds H.B. No. 4998
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the inclusion of independent organizations established
10	10	to manage power regions as governmental bodies for purposes of the
11	11	public information law.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 552.003(1), Government Code, is amended
14	14	to read as follows:
15	15	(1) "Governmental body":
16	16	(A) means:
17	17	(i) a board, commission, department,
18	18	committee, institution, agency, or office that is within or is
19	19	created by the executive or legislative branch of state government
20	20	and that is directed by one or more elected or appointed members;
21	21	(ii) a county commissioners court in the
22	22	state;
23	23	(iii) a municipal governing body in the
24	24	state;
25	25	(iv) a deliberative body that has
26	26	rulemaking or quasi-judicial power and that is classified as a
27	27	department, agency, or political subdivision of a county or
28	28	municipality;
29	29	(v) a school district board of trustees;
30	30	(vi) a county board of school trustees;
31	31	(vii) a county board of education;
32	32	(viii) the governing board of a special
33	33	district;
34	34	(ix) the governing body of a nonprofit
35	35	corporation organized under Chapter 67, Water Code, that provides a
36	36	water supply or wastewater service, or both, and is exempt from ad
37	37	valorem taxation under Section 11.30, Tax Code;
38	38	(x) a local workforce development board
39	39	created under Section 2308.253;
40	40	(xi) a nonprofit corporation that is
41	41	eligible to receive funds under the federal community services
42	42	block grant program and that is authorized by this state to serve a
43	43	geographic area of the state;
44	44	(xii) a confinement facility operated under
45	45	a contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal
46	46	Justice;
47	47	(xiii) a civil commitment housing facility
48	48	owned, leased, or operated by a vendor under contract with the state
49	49	as provided by Chapter 841, Health and Safety Code;
50	50	(xiv) an entity that receives public funds
51	51	in the current or preceding state fiscal year to manage the daily
52	52	operations or restoration of the Alamo, or an entity that oversees
53	53	such an entity; [and]
54	54	(xv) the part, section, or portion of an
55	55	organization, corporation, commission, committee, institution, or
56	56	agency that spends or that is supported in whole or in part by
57	57	public funds; and
58	58	(xvi) an independent organization
59	59	established under Section 39.151, Utilities Code, to manage a power
60	60	region; and
61	61	(B) does not include:
62	62	(i) the judiciary; or
63	63	(ii) an economic development entity whose
64	64	mission or purpose is to develop and promote the economic growth of
65	65	a state agency or political subdivision with which the entity
66	66	contracts if:
67	67	(a) the entity does not receive $1
68	68	million or more in public funds from a single state agency or
69	69	political subdivision in the current or preceding state fiscal
70	70	year; or
71	71	(b) the entity:
72	72	(1) either:
73	73	(A) does not have the
74	74	authority to make decisions or recommendations on behalf of a state
75	75	agency or political subdivision regarding tax abatements or tax
76	76	incentives; or
77	77	(B) does not require an
78	78	officer of the state agency or political subdivision to hold office
79	79	as a member of the board of directors of the entity;
80	80	(2) does not use staff or office
81	81	space of the state agency or political subdivision for no or nominal
82	82	consideration, unless the space is available to the public;
83	83	(3) to a reasonable degree,
84	84	tracks the entity's receipt and expenditure of public funds
85	85	separately from the entity's receipt and expenditure of private
86	86	funds; and
87	87	(4) provides at least quarterly
88	88	public reports to the state agency or political subdivision
89	89	regarding work performed on behalf of the state agency or political
90	90	subdivision.
91	91	SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 39, Utilities Code, is
92	92	amended by adding Section 39.1517 to read as follows:
93	93	Sec. 39.1517. DISCLOSURE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION BY GOVERNING
94	94	BODY OF INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION. A provision of law that makes
95	95	information confidential or not subject to disclosure under Chapter
96	96	552, Government Code, or another provision of law, that applies to
97	97	the commission applies in the same manner to an independent
98	98	organization certified under Section 39.151.
99	99	SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
100	100	a request for public information received on or after the effective
101	101	date of this Act. A request for public information received before
102	102	the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when
103	103	the request was received, and the former law is continued in effect
104	104	for that purpose.
105	105	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.