By: Wilson H.B. No. 160
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to making supplemental appropriations for education
  initiatives, institutions, and related agencies and giving
  direction regarding appropriations.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM: TRS-CARE AND
  TRS-ACTIVECARE.  (a)  The amount of $286,337,761 is appropriated to
  the Teacher Retirement System from money received by this state
  from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (42 U.S.C. Section
  802) established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L.
  No. 117-2) and deposited to the credit of the Coronavirus Relief
  Fund No. 325 for the purpose of providing funding for
  coronavirus-related claims in TRS-Care and TRS-ActiveCare incurred
  before September 1, 2021, during the two-year period beginning on
  the effective date of this Act.
         (b)  It is the intent of the legislature that premiums for
  TRS-Care and TRS-ActiveCare insurance policies not increase as a
  result of coronavirus-related claims incurred before September 1,
  2021.
         SECTION 2.  HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD: TEXAS CHILD
  MENTAL HEALTH CARE CONSORTIUM.  (a)  The amount of $113,082,887 is
  appropriated to the Higher Education Coordinating Board from money
  received by this state from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery
  Fund (42 U.S.C. Section 802) established under the American Rescue
  Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 117-2) and deposited to the credit of
  the Coronavirus Relief Fund No. 325 for the purpose of supporting
  the operations and expansion of the Texas Child Mental Health Care
  Consortium to expand mental health initiatives for children during
  the two-year period beginning on the effective date of this Act. At
  the direction of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, the
  Higher Education Coordinating Board shall transfer appropriations
  through interagency contracts with health-related institutions of
  higher education for the following purposes:
               (1)  $20,578,442 for enhancements and expansion of the
  Child Psychiatry Access Network;
               (2)  $56,218,976 for enhancements and expansion of the
  Texas Child Access Through Telemedicine program;
               (3)  $32,991,791 for expansion of the child and
  adolescent mental health workforce; and
               (4)  $3,293,676 for administrative expenses.
         (b)  Not later than December 1, 2021, out of money
  appropriated by Subsection (a) of this section, the Higher
  Education Coordinating Board shall transfer $3,293,676 to an
  institution of higher education designated by the Texas Child
  Mental Health Care Consortium for oversight and evaluation of the
  outlined initiatives by means of interagency agreements or any
  other necessary contracts.
         (c)  The Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium may
  transfer up to 10 percent of money appropriated for the purposes
  described by Subsection (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this section to any
  of the other purposes described by those provisions. The Texas
  Child Mental Health Care Consortium may transfer more than 10
  percent of funds for those purposes only with the prior approval for
  the transfer and expenditure from the Legislative Budget Board. A
  request for approval of the transfer and expenditure by the
  consortium is considered approved unless the Legislative Budget
  Board issues a written disapproval within 10 business days of the
  receipt and review of the request by the Legislative Budget Board.
         SECTION 3.  TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: STATE
  OPERATIONS CENTER. (a) The amount of $300,000,000 is appropriated
  to the Texas Division of Emergency Management from money received
  by this state from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (42
  U.S.C. Section 802) established under the American Rescue Plan Act
  of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 117-2) and deposited to the credit of the
  Coronavirus Relief Fund No. 325 for the purpose of the acquisition
  of land for, and construction of, a state operations center during
  the two-year period beginning on the effective date of this Act.
         (b)  The capital budget authority of the Texas Division of
  Emergency Management is increased by $300,000,000 for the
  appropriation made under Subsection (a) of this section.
         SECTION 4.  HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD: UNIVERSITY
  CONSTRUCTION. Contingent on legislation by the 87th Legislature,
  3rd Called Session, 2021, relating to the issuance of tuition
  revenue bonds, becoming law, the amount of $325,000,000 is
  appropriated to the Higher Education Coordinating Board from money
  received by this state from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery
  Fund (42 U.S.C. Section 802) established under the American Rescue
  Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 117-2) and deposited to the credit of
  the Coronavirus Relief Fund No. 325 for the purpose of university
  construction during the two-year period beginning on the effective
  date of this Act.
         SECTION 5.  NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FUND. The amount
  of $1,000,000,000 is appropriated to the National Research
  University Fund from the money received by this state from the
  Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (42 U.S.C. Section 802)
  established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L.
  No. 117-2) and deposited to the credit of the Coronavirus Relief
  Fund No. 325 to be used to increase the corpus of the fund. It is the
  intent of the Legislature that the methodology used to determine
  the total distribution from the fund be reset to reflect this
  additional appropriation.
         SECTION 6.  LEGISLATIVE INTENT REGARDING APPROPRIATIONS.
  (a) It is the intent of the legislature that the appropriations made
  by this Act are one-time appropriations made for the purpose of
  addressing the needs of this state for the two-year period
  beginning on the effective date of this Act.
         (b)  It is the intent of the legislature that the
  appropriations made by this Act be used only for purposes
  authorized by state and federal law, including guidance issued by
  the United States Department of the Treasury as part of the interim
  final rules published in 86 Fed. Reg. 26786 (May 17, 2021).
         (c)  It is the intent of the legislature that the
  appropriations made by this Act be used before all other methods of
  finance if more than one method of finance has been appropriated by
  this and a prior act of the legislature for use during a state
  fiscal year.
         (d)  It is the intent of the legislature that if the purpose
  of an appropriation, for any reason, is determined by the United
  States Department of the Treasury or any other qualified state or
  federal authority to have been made for an improper use, the
  appropriated money not be spent and instead be retained in the
  treasury and available for later legislative appropriation.
         SECTION 7.  APPROPRIATION AUTHORITY UNDER FEDERAL LAW. The
  appropriations made under Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this Act using
  money received by this state from the Coronavirus State Fiscal
  Recovery Fund (42 U.S.C. Section 802) established under the
  American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 117-2) are made in
  accordance with 42 U.S.C. Section 802(c)(1)(C), which allows money
  from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund to be used to
  provide government services to the extent of a reduction in the
  revenue of a state government caused by the COVID-19 public health
  emergency relative to revenues collected in the most recent full
  fiscal year of the state government that ended before that
  emergency.
         SECTION 8.  APPLICABILITY OF TRANSFER PROVISIONS OF OTHER
  LAW. The transfer provisions of Part 14, Article IX, Chapter 1053
  (S.B. 1), Acts of the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021 (the
  General Appropriations Act), and the transfer provisions of Section
  65, Chapter 995 (H.B. 2), Acts of the 87th Legislature, Regular
  Session, 2021 (the Supplemental Appropriations Act), apply to the
  appropriations made by this Act to allow appropriate transfer of
  appropriations made by this Act as if the appropriations made by the
  General Appropriations Act, the Supplemental Appropriations Act,
  and this Act were all a part of the same Act, to the extent permitted
  by federal law.
         SECTION 9.  EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
  immediately.