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House Bill 3461 |
House Author: Orr |
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Effective: 6-19-09 |
Senate Sponsor: Watson |
House Bill 3461 amends the Natural Resources Code to revise the powers and duties of the School Land Board and the commissioner of the General Land Office, to subject the board to the Texas Sunset Act, and to provide for its abolition on September 1, 2017 unless continued. The bill authorizes the board to waive a special fee on land sales and mineral leases to any state agency, board, commission, political subdivision, or other governmental entity. The bill makes changes to the requirements of the board regarding the publication of a notice of sale, lease, or commitment to a contract for development of land. The bill facilitates the application process of a person seeking to purchase vacant land and requires the commissioner to investigate ownership interest of vacant land and the surrounding land, establishes a deadline for such a determination, and requires the commissioner to provide all documents submitted by the applicant and the results of the investigation to identify necessary parties to the attorney ad litem appointed to identify and locate all necessary parties. The bill establishes deadlines for the processing and decision notification of a vacancy application. The bill establishes provisions relating to a vacancy hearing and the preferential rights of a good-faith claimant.