By Swinford H.B. No. 534
75R3551 BEM-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the dedication of certain lottery revenues to the
1-3 counties.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 466.355(b), Government Code, is amended
1-6 to read as follows:
1-7 (b) Money in the state lottery account may be used only for
1-8 the following purposes and shall be distributed as follows:
1-9 (1) the payment of prizes to the holders of winning
1-10 tickets;
1-11 (2) the payment of costs incurred in the operation and
1-12 administration of the lottery, including any fees received by a
1-13 lottery operator, provided that the costs incurred in a fiscal
1-14 biennium may not exceed an amount equal to 15 percent of the gross
1-15 revenue accruing from the sale of tickets in that biennium;
1-16 (3) the establishment of a pooled bond fund, lottery
1-17 prize reserve fund, unclaimed prize fund, and prize payment
1-18 account; and
1-19 (4) the balance, after creation of a reserve
1-20 sufficient to pay the amounts needed or estimated to be needed
1-21 under Subdivisions (1) through (3), to be transferred [to the
1-22 unobligated portion of the general revenue fund,] on or before the
1-23 15th day of each month as follows:
1-24 (A) 98 percent of the balance to the unobligated
2-1 portion of the general revenue fund; and
2-2 (B) two percent of the balance to the county
2-3 assistance fund established under Section 130.911, Local Government
2-4 Code.
2-5 SECTION 2. Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government Code,
2-6 is amended by adding Section 130.911 to read as follows:
2-7 Sec. 130.911. COUNTY ASSISTANCE FUND. (a) The county
2-8 assistance fund is in the general revenue fund.
2-9 (b) The county assistance fund consists of:
2-10 (1) money transferred from the state lottery account
2-11 as provided by Section 466.355, Government Code; and
2-12 (2) interest earned on the money in the fund.
2-13 (c) The money in the fund may be used by a county for any
2-14 purpose authorized by the commissioners court of the county.
2-15 (d) Not later than August 31 of each year, the comptroller
2-16 shall distribute the money credited to the county assistance fund
2-17 to the counties. The amount distributed to each county is computed
2-18 by:
2-19 (1) dividing the total dollar amount of lottery
2-20 tickets sold in the county during that fiscal year ending on the
2-21 date the computation is made by the total dollar amount of all
2-22 lottery tickets sold in the state during that period; and
2-23 (2) multiplying the amount computed under Subdivision
2-24 (1) by the total amount to be distributed from the county
2-25 assistance fund.
2-26 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
2-27 SECTION 4. Section 466.355(b), Government Code, as amended
3-1 by this Act, applies only to revenue from the sale of a lottery
3-2 ticket that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act.
3-3 Revenue from the sale of a lottery ticket that occurs before the
3-4 effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the
3-5 date of the sale, and the former law is continued in effect for
3-6 that purpose.
3-7 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
3-8 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-9 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-10 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-11 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.