Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.

      Line and page numbers may not match official copy.

      By Swinford                                     H.B. No. 2729

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the development of performance measures by the Texas

 1-3     Agricultural Finance Authority.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 58.017, Agriculture Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           SECTION 2.  Sec. 58.017.  Performance Measures [Cost-Benefit

 1-8     Report]

 1-9           The board, in conjunction with the legislative budget board,

1-10     the state auditor, and the Office of the Governor, shall develop a

1-11     minimum of two performance measures that provide information on the

1-12     benefits of the Authority's loan programs.  The performance

1-13     measures shall be included in the report required under Section

1-14     58.016(d) of this code or as a component of the measures

1-15     incorporated into the appropriation act [(a)  The board shall

1-16     perform a biennial cost-benefit study of the authority's active and

1-17     inactive programs and prepare a report regarding that study.  The

1-18     study must include an examination of the number of jobs created or

1-19     retained in this state as a result of each program and the costs

1-20     and benefits associated with those jobs.]

1-21           [(b)  The chairman of the board shall file the report prepared

1-22     under Subsection (a) with the state auditor before December 1 of

1-23     each even-numbered year.]

1-24           [(c)  The state auditor shall review the report filed under

 2-1     Subsection (b) and send the report and the auditor's comments

 2-2     regarding the methodology used by the authority in performing the

 2-3     cost-benefit study to the governor and the presiding officer of

 2-4     each house of the legislature not later than February 1 of each

 2-5     odd-numbered year.  The state auditor shall provide assistance to

 2-6     the department in preparing the report required by this section].

 2-7           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-10     constitutional rule requiring bill to be read on three several days

2-11     in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.