By Pitts H.B. No. 548
74R1168 CAG-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to assistance to school districts in fighting violence in
1-3 schools and the creation of the school violence prevention
1-4 assistance account.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Chapter 20, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-7 Subchapter G to read as follows:
1-8 SUBCHAPTER G. SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT
1-9 Sec. 20.951. SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION ASSISTANCE. (a)
1-10 From the school violence prevention assistance account, the
1-11 commissioner shall award grants to support programs or activities
1-12 that have as a purpose reducing, preventing, or remedying violence
1-13 within the schools of a district.
1-14 (b) A school district or a law enforcement agency providing
1-15 a program or activity to a school district is eligible to apply for
1-16 and receive a grant.
1-17 (c) The commissioner may adopt rules for the administration
1-18 of this subchapter.
1-19 Sec. 20.952. SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT.
1-20 (a) The school violence prevention assistance account is in the
1-21 general revenue fund.
1-22 (b) The account consists of:
1-23 (1) money transferred from the state lottery account
1-24 as provided by Section 466.3551, Government Code;
2-1 (2) gifts and grants received by the Central Education
2-2 Agency from any source for school violence prevention; and
2-3 (3) interest earned on money in the account.
2-4 (c) The account may be used only for school violence
2-5 prevention assistance grants as provided by this subchapter.
2-6 Sec. 20.953. APPLICATION FOR AND DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.
2-7 (a) An applicant may apply for a school violence prevention
2-8 assistance grant each year. An application must:
2-9 (1) describe the program or activity for which
2-10 assistance is sought;
2-11 (2) state the amount of assistance requested; and
2-12 (3) be filed not later than January 1.
2-13 (b) Not later than May 1 of each year, the commissioner
2-14 shall:
2-15 (1) review each application for school violence
2-16 prevention assistance;
2-17 (2) determine, based on the application, which school
2-18 districts have shown a significant need for the program or activity
2-19 for which assistance is sought; and
2-20 (3) award grants based on the commissioner's
2-21 determinations.
2-22 (c) The amount of a grant may be less than the amount
2-23 requested by the district.
2-24 (d) The total of grants awarded under Subsection (b)(3) may
2-25 be less than the balance of the school violence prevention
2-26 assistance account. Funds not awarded are available in the
2-27 succeeding fiscal year.
3-1 SECTION 2. Section 466.355(b), Government Code, is amended
3-2 to conform to Section 1, Chapter 25, and Section 27, Chapter 284,
3-3 Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, to read as
3-4 follows:
3-5 (b) Money in the state lottery account may be used only for
3-6 the following purposes and shall be distributed as follows:
3-7 (1) the payment of prizes to the holders of winning
3-8 tickets;
3-9 (2) the payment of costs incurred in the operation and
3-10 administration of the lottery, including any fees received by a
3-11 lottery operator, provided that the costs incurred in a fiscal
3-12 biennium may not exceed an amount equal to 15 percent of the gross
3-13 revenue accruing from the sale of tickets in that biennium;
3-14 (3) the establishment of a pooled bond fund, lottery
3-15 prize revenue fund, unclaimed prize fund, and prize payment
3-16 account;
3-17 (4) the transfer of amounts to the school violence
3-18 prevention assistance account <state lottery stabilization fund> as
3-19 provided by Section 466.3551 <466.356>; and
3-20 (5) <(4)> the balance, after creation of a reserve
3-21 sufficient to pay the amounts needed or estimated to be needed
3-22 under <provided by> Subdivisions (1) through (4) <and (2)>, to be
3-23 transferred to the unobligated portion of the general revenue fund,
3-24 on or before the 15th day of each month.
3-25 SECTION 3. Chapter 466, Government Code, is amended by
3-26 adding Section 466.3551 to read as follows:
3-27 Sec. 466.3551. TRANSFERS TO SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION
4-1 ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT. On July 1 of each year, the comptroller shall
4-2 transfer to the school violence prevention assistance account
4-3 established under Section 20.952, Education Code, an amount equal
4-4 to 35 percent of the unclaimed prize fund from the preceding year.
4-5 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
4-6 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
4-7 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-8 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-9 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-10 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.