Sec. 284.007.  CONTRACTS FOR HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES.  (a)  A county with a population of more than 3.3 million operating under this chapter shall set and make a good faith effort to meet or exceed goals for awarding contracts or subcontracts associated with a project it operates, maintains, or constructs to historically underutilized businesses.
(b)  The goals must equal or exceed:
(1)  the federal requirement on federal money used in highway construction and maintenance;  and
(2)  the goals adopted by the department under Section 201.702.
(c)  The goals apply to the total value of all contracts and subcontracts awarded, including contracts and subcontracts for construction, maintenance, operations, supplies, services, materials, equipment, professional services, the issuance of bonds, and bond counsel.
(d)  In this section, "historically underutilized business" means:
(1)  a corporation formed for the purpose of making a profit in which at least 51 percent of all classes of the shares of stock or other equitable securities is owned, managed, and in daily operations controlled by one or more persons who have been historically underutilized because of their identification as members of certain groups, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, women, Asian Pacific Americans, and Native Americans, who have suffered the effects of discriminatory practices or similar invidious circumstances over which they have no control;
(2)  a sole proprietorship formed for the purpose of making a profit that is 100 percent owned and in daily operations is controlled by a person described by Subdivision (1);
(3)  a partnership formed for the purpose of making a profit in which at least 51 percent of the assets and interest in the partnership is owned by one or more persons described by Subdivision (1) who also have proportionate interest in the control, daily operations, and management of the partnership's affairs;
(4)  a joint venture in which each entity in the joint venture is a historically underutilized business;  or
(5)  a supplier contract between a historically underutilized business and a prime contractor under which the historically underutilized business is directly involved in the manufacture or distribution of the supplies or materials or otherwise warehouses and ships the supplies or materials.
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
Amended by: 
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1163 (H.B. 2702), Sec. 125, eff. September 1, 2011.