By Raymond, Willis                                    H.B. No. 1677
       74R4161 JRD-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to directing the Texas Veterans Commission to determine
    1-3  the need for establishing state cemeteries for veterans.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is
    1-6  amended by adding Section 434.0076 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 434.0076.  FINDINGS AND STUDY ABOUT STATE VETERANS
    1-8  CEMETERIES.  (a)  The legislature finds that this state is one of
    1-9  the few states that do not provide state cemeteries for veterans.
   1-10  The legislature also finds that some federal cemeteries for
   1-11  veterans in this state are closed and that many veterans in this
   1-12  state live far from the nearest open veterans cemetery.  It is the
   1-13  intent of the legislature to determine the extent to which there
   1-14  exists in this state the need to provide state cemeteries for
   1-15  veterans.
   1-16        (b)  The commission shall contract with a qualified
   1-17  consulting firm to study the need for and the feasibility of
   1-18  establishing a system of state cemeteries for veterans under the
   1-19  jurisdiction of the commission or of another agency of state
   1-20  government.  The study must consider the existence of any federal
   1-21  cemeteries for veterans in this state and the existence of any
   1-22  county cemeteries for veterans established under Section 713.029,
   1-23  Health and Safety Code.  The study must also consider whether any
   1-24  land currently owned by the state is suitable for the establishment
    2-1  of a veterans cemetery and the extent to which federal money is
    2-2  available to pay for part of the construction cost of state
    2-3  veterans cemeteries.  The commission shall present the written
    2-4  findings of the study to the governor and the presiding officer of
    2-5  each house of the legislature before December 1, 1997.
    2-6        (c)  The commission is required to enter into a contract
    2-7  under this section only if the legislature appropriates money for
    2-8  that purpose.  If the legislature does not appropriate money for
    2-9  the contract, the commission may use available resources to conduct
   2-10  its own study of the issue.
   2-11        (d)  This section expires June 1, 1999.
   2-12        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-13        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-14  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-15  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-16  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-17  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.