By Hernandez H.J.R. No. 109
A JOINT RESOLUTION
1-1 proposing a constitutional amendment to require the legislature to
1-2 appropriate sufficient amounts to assist school districts in
1-3 providing free textbooks to their students.
1-4 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Article VII, Section 3, Texas Constitution is
1-6 amended to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 3. One-fourth of the revenue derived from the State
1-8 occupation taxes and poll tax of one dollar on every inhabitant of
1-9 the State, between the ages of twenty-one and sixty years, shall be
1-10 set apart annually for the benefit of the public free schools; <and
1-11 in addition thereto, there shall be levied and collected an annual
1-12 ad valorem State tax of such an amount not to exceed thirty-five
1-13 cents on the one hundred ($100.00) dollars valuation, as with the
1-14 available school fund arising from all other sources, will be
1-15 sufficient to maintain and support the public schools of this State
1-16 for a period of not less than six months in each year,> and it
1-17 shall be the duty of the Legislature <State Board of Education> to
1-18 appropriate <set aside a sufficient> amounts from <amount of> the
1-19 available school fund and other available funds <said tax> to
1-20 assist school districts in providing <provide> free textbooks <text
1-21 books> for the use of children attending the public free schools of
1-22 this State; provided, however, that should the limit of taxation
1-23 herein named be insufficient the deficit may be met by
2-1 appropriation from the general funds of the State and the
2-2 Legislature may also provide for the formation of school district
2-3 by general laws; and all such school districts may embrace parts of
2-4 two or more counties, and the Legislature shall be authorized to
2-5 pass laws for the assessment and collection of taxes in all said
2-6 districts and for the management and control of the public school
2-7 or schools of such districts, whether such districts are composed
2-8 of territory wholly within a county or in parts of two or more
2-9 counties, and the Legislature may authorize an additional ad
2-10 valorem tax to be levied and collected within all school districts
2-11 heretofore formed or hereafter formed, for the further maintenance
2-12 of public free schools, and for the erection and equipment of
2-13 school buildings therein; provided that a majority of the qualified
2-14 property taxpaying voters of the district voting at an election to
2-15 be held for that purpose, shall vote such tax not to exceed in any
2-16 one year one ($1.00) dollar on the one hundred dollars valuation of
2-17 the property subject to taxation in such district, but the
2-18 limitation upon the amount of school district tax herein authorized
2-19 shall not apply to incorporated cities or towns constituting
2-20 separate and independent school districts, nor to independent or
2-21 common school districts created by general or special law.
2-22 SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
2-23 submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 2, 1993.
2-24 The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against
2-25 the following proposition: "The constitutional amendment requiring
3-1 the state to assist school districts in providing free textbooks to
3-2 their students."