1-1           By:  Ellis, Sibley, Gallegos                     S.B. No. 394

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 30, 1997; February 4, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;

 1-4     March 10, 1997, reported favorably, as amended, by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 0; March 10, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                                By:  Ellis

 1-7     Amend S.B. No. 394 as follows:

 1-8           On page 1, line 19, amend SECTION 1, after the words

 1-9     "Education Code" by inserting ", and the Texas Higher Education

1-10     Coordinating Board".

1-11                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

1-12                                   AN ACT

1-13     relating to the application process for state loan and loan

1-14     guaranty programs.

1-15           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-16           SECTION 1.  DEFINITION.  In this Act, "state agency" means a

1-17     board, commission, department, or other entity of state government,

1-18     other than an "institution of higher education," as that term is

1-19     defined by Section 61.003, Education Code.

1-20           SECTION 2.  COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP STANDARDIZED APPLICATIONS.

1-21     (a)  The chief executive officer of each state agency that

1-22     administers a loan or loan guaranty program shall appoint an

1-23     employee of the agency to an interagency committee to recommend a

1-24     common application process for loan and loan guaranty programs the

1-25     state administers.

1-26           (b)  The committee shall:

1-27                 (1)  identify the basic information required by statute

1-28     or rule for each loan or loan guaranty program to produce a common

1-29     application that may be accompanied by any needed plans, designs,

1-30     or projections for a specific program; and

1-31                 (2)  determine whether any legislation or rule change

1-32     is needed to harmonize as much as possible deadlines and other

1-33     application processes.

1-34           (c)  Members of the committee shall select their presiding

1-35     officers.  The committee shall have its organizational meeting on

1-36     the second Monday in January of 1998 and shall meet at other times

1-37     as determined by its presiding officers.

1-38           (d)  A member of the committee is not entitled to

1-39     compensation for service on the committee but is entitled to

1-40     reimbursement of the travel expenses incurred by the member while

1-41     conducting the business of the committee, as provided by the

1-42     General Appropriations Act.  The state agency that employs the

1-43     committee member is responsible for making the reimbursement.

1-44           SECTION 3.  REPORT.   The committee shall file a report of

1-45     its findings and recommendations with the governor, lieutenant

1-46     governor, and speaker of the house of representatives not later

1-47     than December 31, 1998.

1-48           SECTION 4.  EXPIRATION DATE.  This Act expires January 1,

1-49     1999.

1-50           SECTION 5.  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.

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