Bill Text: TX HB1971 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Relating to the purchase and installation of climate control systems at facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-4)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-17 - Referred to Finance [HB1971 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB1971-Engrossed.html
| 87R22284 BDP-D | ||
| By: Canales, Burrows, Leach, Moody, White, | H.B. No. 1971 | |
| et al. | ||
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| relating to the purchase and installation of climate control | ||
| systems at facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal | ||
| Justice. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. (a) In this section: | ||
| (1) "Department" means the Texas Department of | ||
| Criminal Justice. | ||
| (2) "Required temperature-controlled area" means the | ||
| following areas of a facility operated by the department: | ||
| (A) hospitals; | ||
| (B) visiting areas; | ||
| (C) housing or dormitory areas; | ||
| (D) trustee areas; | ||
| (E) areas used for medical treatment or care, | ||
| including areas used for dispensing medication to inmates; | ||
| (F) kitchens or dining areas; | ||
| (G) food preparation areas; | ||
| (H) community areas, including dayrooms; | ||
| (I) laundry areas; | ||
| (J) areas used for work stations; | ||
| (K) indoor recreational areas, including | ||
| gymnasiums; | ||
| (L) restroom and shower areas and other areas | ||
| related to inmate hygiene; | ||
| (M) administrative areas; | ||
| (N) correctional officer stations, including | ||
| guard post areas; | ||
| (O) commissary areas; | ||
| (P) areas used for programmatic, educational, or | ||
| vocational purposes; | ||
| (Q) chapels or churches; | ||
| (R) libraries; and | ||
| (S) maintenance areas. | ||
| (b) The department shall: | ||
| (1) contract with a private entity through a | ||
| competitive bidding process to purchase and install climate control | ||
| systems at each facility operated by the department that is not | ||
| currently equipped with a climate control system capable of | ||
| maintaining the temperature in the required temperature-controlled | ||
| areas of the facility at not less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit or more | ||
| than 85 degrees Fahrenheit; and | ||
| (2) install the climate control systems in the | ||
| following phases, with each phase consisting of the installation of | ||
| climate control systems at approximately one-third of the | ||
| department's facilities at a cost not to exceed $100 million per | ||
| phase: | ||
| (A) phase one to be completed not later than | ||
| December 31, 2024; | ||
| (B) phase two to be completed not later than | ||
| December 31, 2026; and | ||
| (C) phase three to be completed not later than | ||
| December 31, 2028. | ||
| (c) In conducting the competitive bidding process, the | ||
| department shall solicit bids for the entire scope of the project, | ||
| provided that the department may solicit bids for each phase of the | ||
| project if necessary or beneficial. | ||
| (d) In soliciting bids and determining the requirements for | ||
| the phased implementation of the project, the department shall: | ||
| (1) prioritize the efficient use of state resources; | ||
| and | ||
| (2) consider factors such as: | ||
| (A) the type of climate control systems needed | ||
| for each facility, including the architectural design of each | ||
| facility; | ||
| (B) the ability of any existing climate control | ||
| systems in each facility to maintain the air temperature in the | ||
| required temperature-controlled areas of the facility at not less | ||
| than 65 degrees Fahrenheit or more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit; | ||
| (C) the comparable abilities of different | ||
| climate control systems to maintain the temperature described by | ||
| Paragraph (B) of this subdivision, including the total cellblock or | ||
| dormitory square footage each system is capable of maintaining at | ||
| that temperature; and | ||
| (D) the use of inmate labor to decrease costs. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act expires January 1, 2031. | ||
| SECTION 3. (a) The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is | ||
| required to implement a provision of this Act only if: | ||
| (1) the legislature allocates available federal funds | ||
| specifically for that purpose; or | ||
| (2) the legislature specifically appropriates state | ||
| funds to the department for the purpose of implementing a provision | ||
| of this Act. | ||
| (b) Except as provided by Subsection (a)(2) of this section, | ||
| the Texas Department of Criminal Justice may not implement a | ||
| provision of this Act using state funds. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
