1-1 By: Harris S.B. No. 195 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed January 13, 1997; January 14, 1997, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Administration; 1-4 January 15, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 1-5 5, Nays 0; January 15, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the creation, purpose, implementation, and funding of 1-9 the County Park Beautification and Improvement Program. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act shall be known and may be 1-12 cited as the County Park Beautification and Improvement Program 1-13 Act. 1-14 SECTION 2. PURPOSE; CREATION. It is the intent of the 1-15 legislature that each county dedicating land for use as county 1-16 parks be encouraged to beautify and improve those parks through 1-17 measures including but not limited to improvements in or additions 1-18 to lighting, directional and educational signs, litter abatement 1-19 strategies, and landscaping and landscape maintenance policies. In 1-20 furtherance of these goals, the County Park Beautification and 1-21 Improvement Program is established. 1-22 SECTION 3. IMPLEMENTATION. The commissioners court of a 1-23 county may by majority vote elect to participate in the program. 1-24 On such election, the commissioners court shall designate one 1-25 person in the division of the county government responsible for the 1-26 care and maintenance of the county parks as the coordinator for the 1-27 program. The coordinator may solicit advice and assistance from 1-28 state and county agencies and private organizations in developing 1-29 and implementing the program. 1-30 SECTION 4. REPORT; ADOPTION. The coordinator shall report 1-31 to the commissioners court the coordinator's findings and shall 1-32 recommend an implementation strategy to the commissioners court. 1-33 The commissioners court may reject or adopt the implementation 1-34 strategy. If the commissioners court rejects the strategy, it 1-35 shall specify to the coordinator the reasons for such rejection, 1-36 and the coordinator shall develop a new implementation strategy to 1-37 present to the commissioners court within six months of the 1-38 rejection. On adoption of an implementation strategy, the 1-39 commissioners court may fund the program as provided in Section 5 1-40 of this Act. 1-41 SECTION 5. FUNDING. The commissioners court of a county 1-42 electing to participate in the County Park Beautification and 1-43 Improvement Program under this Act may solicit and accept bequests, 1-44 donations, grants, and other money, goods, and services from 1-45 federal, state, and private sources to finance and further the 1-46 goals of the program but may not levy any tax or receive any 1-47 legislative appropriation to fund such participation. The state is 1-48 not liable for debts or other obligations incurred by a county in 1-49 implementing or planning to implement the program under this Act. 1-50 SECTION 6. EMERGENCY. The importance of this legislation 1-51 and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-52 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-53 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-54 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-55 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-56 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-57 * * * * *