87R5597 MWC-F

By: Longoria, Guillen, Israel H.B. No. 1381

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the award of library construction grants by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 441.135(b), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) The program of grants shall include one or more of the following:

(1) system operation grants, to:

(A) provide basic system support services to member libraries;

(B) provide coordination and enable cooperation with the commission and with other libraries in a region; and

(C) meet commission and federal goals;

(2) incentive grants, to encourage public libraries to join together into larger units of service to meet commission and federal goals;

(3) establishment grants, to help libraries establish consortia or cooperatives that will enable libraries to better serve their communities;

(4) equalization grants, to help public libraries in communities with relatively limited taxable resources to meet commission and federal goals and qualify for library system membership;

(5) public information technology grants, to help public libraries make state, local, and federal government information that is accessible through the Internet available to the public through computers;

(6) competitive grants, to promote innovation by public libraries and by libraries described by Section 441.1271(a) and to encourage major resource systems or regional library systems and libraries to meet commission and federal goals; [and]

(7) grants to aid local libraries, to provide assistance to public libraries, and to help those libraries meet commission and federal goals; and

(8) construction grants, to encourage the establishment of new public libraries or the improvement of existing public libraries.

SECTION 2. Section 441.138, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:

(b) Libraries and library systems may use state grants for:

(1) materials;

(2) [,] personnel;

(3) [,] equipment;

(4) [,] administrative expenses;

(5) new construction, rehabilitation, or renovation of a library or the infrastructure of a library and associated expenses; [,] and

(6) financing programs that enrich the services and materials offered a community by its public library.

(b-1) State grants may not be used for site acquisition, [construction,] acquisition of buildings, or payment of past debts.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.