By Alexander                                    H.B. No. 2491

      75R6234 MLS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the exclusion of community colleges from the state

 1-3     employee charitable contribution program.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Sections 659.131(7)-(9) and (16), Government

 1-6     Code, are amended to read as follows:

 1-7                 (7)  "General academic teaching institution" has the

 1-8     meaning assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.

 1-9                 (8)  "Health and human services" means services

1-10     provided by a charitable organization that:

1-11                       (A)  benefit residents of this state, including

1-12     children, youth, adults, elderly individuals, ill or infirm

1-13     individuals, or individuals with a mental or physical disability;

1-14     and

1-15                       (B)  consist of:

1-16                             (i)  human care, medical or other research

1-17     in the field of human health, education, social adjustment, or

1-18     rehabilitation;

1-19                             (ii)  relief for victims of natural

1-20     disaster or other emergencies; or

1-21                             (iii)  assistance to impoverished

1-22     individuals in need of food, shelter, clothing, or other basic

1-23     needs.

1-24                 (9) [(8)]  "Indirect services" means health and human

 2-1     services that:

 2-2                       (A)  are not direct services; and

 2-3                       (B)  demonstrably benefit residents of this

 2-4     state.

 2-5                 [(9)  "Institution of higher education" has the meaning

 2-6     assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.]

 2-7                 (16)  "State agency" means a department, commission,

 2-8     board, office, general academic teaching institution [of higher

 2-9     education], or other agency of state government.

2-10           SECTION 2.  Section 659.132(d), Government Code, is amended

2-11     to read as follows:

2-12           (d)  A state agency other than a general academic teaching

2-13     [an] institution [of higher education] is not required to permit an

2-14     employee to authorize a deduction under this subchapter until the

2-15     first full payroll period after the agency converts to a system in

2-16     which uniform statewide payroll procedures are followed.

2-17           SECTION 3.  Section 659.148(e), Government Code, is amended

2-18     to read as follows:

2-19           (e)  A general academic teaching [An] institution [of higher

2-20     education] that is authorized to operate a payroll system

2-21     reimbursable from the state treasury shall charge an administrative

2-22     fee to the participating charitable organizations to cover the

2-23     actual costs incurred in the administration of this subchapter.

2-24     The fee shall be assessed and collected annually and shall be

2-25     charged in the same proportion that the contributions to the

2-26     charitable organization bear to the total contributions in that

2-27     campaign.

 3-1           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 3-2           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

 3-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.