By Kamel H.B. No. 140 75R421 KKA-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to standards for public school construction. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 42.352, Education Code, is amended to 1-5 read as follows: 1-6 Sec. 42.352. STANDARDS. (a) The State Board of Education 1-7 shall establish standards for adequacy of school facilities. The 1-8 standards shall include requirements related to space, educational 1-9 adequacy, and construction quality. The standards for construction 1-10 quality shall require a school district to comply with the 1-11 district's choice of: 1-12 (1) the local building code applicable in the area; or 1-13 (2) the most current editions available on January 1, 1-14 1997, of: 1-15 (A) the Uniform Building Code, published by the 1-16 International Conference of Building Officials, or the Standard 1-17 Building Code, published by the Southern Building Code Congress 1-18 International, Inc.; and 1-19 (B) the National Electrical Code, published by 1-20 the National Fire Protection Association. 1-21 (b) The State Board of Education may subsequently revise 1-22 construction quality standards to reflect changes to the Uniform 1-23 Building Code, the Standard Building Code, and the National 1-24 Electrical Code made after January 1, 1997. 2-1 (c) All facilities constructed after September 1, 1992, must 2-2 meet the standards established under Subsection (a) in order to be 2-3 financed with state or local tax funds. 2-4 SECTION 2. This Act does not apply to construction of a 2-5 project on which working drawings were begun before the effective 2-6 date of standards adopted in compliance with this Act. The State 2-7 Board of Education shall adopt standards in compliance with this 2-8 Act not later than December 1, 1997. 2-9 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-14 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-15 passage, and it is so enacted.