Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

__________________ S TATE
FFAIRS/AgenciesAgencies
TATE AFFAIRS
77 th Texas Legislature
Requires the commission and all state agencies procuring goods or services to give preference to goods or
services produced in an economically depressed or blighted area if certain conditions are met.
Requires the public body, for a contract for a public work awarded by a political subdivision of the state, to
determine the general prevailing rate of per diem wages in the locality in which the public work is to be
performed for each craft or type of worker needed to execute the contract.
Requires the public body, if the contract is for a public work located in a county bordering the Mexico or in a
county adjacent to a county bordering Mexico, to determine the general prevailing rate of per diem wages
in the locality in which the public work is to be performed. Requires the determination to be made by
conducting a survey of the wages received by the classes of workers employed on projects of a character
similar to the contract work both statewide and in the political subdivision of the state in which the public
work is to be performed. Requires the public body to also consider the prevailing wage rate as determined
by the U.S. Department of Labor, but only if the survey used was conducted within a three-year period
preceding the date for bids. Requires the public body to determine the general prevailing rate of per diem
wages in the locality based on the higher of three methods of calculation.
Sets out provisions relating to liability and legislative permission to sue and indemnity in construction.
Electronic Filing with State Agencies - S.B. 481
by Senator Duncan
House Sponsor: Representative Kitchen
Requires the Department of Information Resources to:
• advise and consult with state agencies to assess opportunities to electronically file any information
the agency requires;
• identify the cost of and barriers to implementing electronic reporting; and
• make recommendations to the legislature not later than September 1, 2002.
Defibrillator Installation in State Buildings - S.B. 531
by Senator Nelson
House Sponsor: Representative Janek
Requires the Texas Department of Health (TDH), in consultation with the General Services Commission, to
study the purchase and placement of automated external defibrillators in state buildings. The TDH will
estimate the extent to which placing these automated external defibrillators would improve the survival rate
of individuals who experience sudden cardiac arrest in state buildings.
In addition, this study will evaluate which state buildings should receive a defibrillator, giving special
consideration to buildings open to the public. Also, it will examine the cost of this placement, how to
integrate the placement of defibrillators with existing medical services, how much state personnel would
need to be trained to use these machines, the cost of such training, and any other considerations or costs.
Senate Research Center 259