By Jones of Dallas                                    H.B. No. 2539
       74R7410 SMH-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the establishment of a historically black or Hispanic
    1-3  college or university Internet access trust fund.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
    1-6  Subchapter Q to read as follows:
    1-7       SUBCHAPTER Q.  HISTORICALLY BLACK OR HISPANIC COLLEGE OR
    1-8                 UNIVERSITY INTERNET ACCESS TRUST FUND
    1-9        Sec. 61.791.  ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.  (a)  The historically
   1-10  black or Hispanic college or university Internet access trust fund
   1-11  is a trust fund in the custody of the state treasurer.
   1-12        (b)  The board may accept gifts and grants from any public or
   1-13  private source for the fund.
   1-14        (c)  The Office of State-Federal Relations shall assist the
   1-15  board in obtaining grants from the United States for the fund.
   1-16        (d)  The legislature shall appropriate to the fund each
   1-17  biennium an amount equal to the amount of gifts and grants
   1-18  deposited to the credit of the fund during the preceding biennium.
   1-19        Sec. 61.792.  ADMINISTRATION OF FUND.  The board shall
   1-20  administer the fund.
   1-21        Sec. 61.793.  INVESTMENT OF FUND.  (a)  The state treasurer
   1-22  shall invest the money in the fund.
   1-23        (b)  The income from the fund shall be deposited to the
   1-24  credit of the fund.
    2-1        Sec. 61.794.  USE OF FUND.  (a)  The board may use money in
    2-2  the fund to provide a historically black or Hispanic college or
    2-3  university access to the Internet or a similar electronic
    2-4  communications network.
    2-5        (b)  The state treasurer shall pay money in the fund to a
    2-6  historically black or Hispanic college or university on a warrant
    2-7  drawn by the comptroller supported by a voucher signed by the
    2-8  commissioner of higher education and the chairman of the board or
    2-9  their authorized representatives.
   2-10        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-11        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-12  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-13  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-14  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-15  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.