EMERGENCY WAIVER

(a) The governor, after receipt of a request complying with this section, may grant a limited waiver of the provisions of this subchapter for a state agency that requires consulting services before compliance with this subchapter can be completed because of an unforeseen emergency. (b) A state agency's request for a waiver must include information required by the governor, including: (1) information about the nature of the emergency; (2) the reason that the state agency did not foresee the emergency; (3) the name of the consultant with whom the agency intends to contract; and (4) the amount of the intended contract. (c) As soon as possible after the governor grants a limited waiver, a state agency shall comply with this subchapter to the extent that the requirements of this subchapter are not superfluous or ineffective because of the waiver. The agency shall include with information filed with the secretary of state for publication in the Texas Register a detailed description of the emergency on which the request for waiver was predicated. (d) The governor shall adopt rules to administer this section. (e) In this section, "unforeseen emergency" means a situation that suddenly and unexpectedly causes a state agency to need the services of a consultant. The term includes the issuance of a court order, an actual or imminent natural disaster, and new state or federal legislation. An emergency is not unforeseen if a state agency was negligent in foreseeing the occurrence of the emergency. (f) This section applies to all consulting services contracts and renewals, amendments, and extensions of consulting services contracts.