H.B. No. 206 proposes an amendment to the Government Code by adding Section 2155.454, which establishes a preference in state purchasing for goods and services used in areas declared as disaster zones. The bill defines a "disaster area" as one declared by either the governor of Texas or the president of the United States under relevant disaster relief acts. It mandates that the comptroller and state agencies give preference to bidders whose principal place of business is located within the political subdivision where the goods or services will be utilized. This preference is effective from the date the area is declared a disaster until one year later, regardless of any subsequent termination of the disaster declaration.

Additionally, the bill requires the comptroller and state agencies to adopt necessary rules to implement this preference. It specifies that the new provisions will apply only to contracts for which requests for offers or bids are made public after the bill's effective date. The act will take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds majority vote from both houses of the legislature; otherwise, it will take effect 91 days after the end of the legislative session.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: ()