By Rangel                                       H.B. No. 2651

      75R7824 BEM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the transfer of certain federal funds received by the

 1-3     Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to the Texas

 1-4     Department of Commerce.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Sections 2306.099(a) and (b), Government Code,

 1-7     are amended to read as follows:

 1-8           (a)  The department shall [may] enter into an interagency

 1-9     agreement with the Texas Department of Commerce to reimburse the

1-10     Texas Department of Commerce for providing on behalf of the

1-11     department marketing and underwriting services on the portion of

1-12     the federal funds allocated by the department for economic

1-13     development activities.

1-14           (b)  The department shall allocate [not more than] 20 percent

1-15     of the federal funds received by the department to the Texas

1-16     Department of Commerce to be used for economic development

1-17     activities.

1-18           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-19           (b)  The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

1-20     and the Texas Department of Commerce shall enter into an

1-21     interagency agreement as required under Section 2306.099(a),

1-22     Government Code, as amended by this Act, not later than January 1,

1-23     1998.

1-24           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-1     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-2     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-3     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-4     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.