SRC-TNM H.B. 722 75(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.B. 722
By: Alexander (Ogden)
Education
5-4-97
Engrossed


DIGEST 

Currently, Texas law allows a school district or county to levy a tax in
order to maintain a junior college branch campus within its taxing
jurisdiction.  This is known as the junior college district branch campus
maintenance tax.  However, current law does not provide for the expansion
of a branch campus maintenance tax area.  Section 130.087(k), Education
Code, requires tax monies generated in a branch campus maintenance tax
area to be expended to support the branch campus located in that taxing
jurisdiction.  Current law does not permit a contiguous jurisdiction to
pay a maintenance tax to support an existing branch campus maintenance tax
area.  Instead, a separate facility would have to be built or leased
within the new taxing jurisdiction, even if a branch campus already exists
within the same city, but within a different jurisdiction.  H.B. 722 would
allow a taxing jurisdiction contiguous to a jurisdiction that is already
levying a branch campus maintenance tax to operate, maintain, and support
that same campus through the levying of a branch campus maintenance tax. 
        
PURPOSE

As proposed, H.B. 722 outlines provisions regarding the expansion of the
areas where proceeds of the branch campus maintenance tax may be used. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 130.087(k), Education Code, to provide that the
proceeds of the junior college district branch campus maintenance tax may
be used to operate and maintain a junior college district branch campus
and to support its programs and services only in the area of a
jurisdiction contiguous to the jurisdiction levying the tax that also
levies a junior college district branch campus maintenance tax to operate,
maintain, and support the same junior college district branch campus. 

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1997.

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.