75R12600 PAM-F                          

         By Nelson, et al.                                      S.B. No. 728

         Substitute the following for S.B. No. 728:

         By Staples                                         C.S.S.B. No. 728

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the management, control, disposition, and status of

 1-3     certain state land, including land owned or used for the site of

 1-4     the superconducting super collider research facility.

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

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 465.018, Government Code, is amended by

 1-7     adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

 1-8           (d)  The authority of the commission to manage, control,

 1-9     market, and dispose of real property and interests in real property

1-10     is transferred to the General Land Office.  The powers conferred on

1-11     the General Land Office under this subsection are in addition to

1-12     and not in derogation of any other legal authority the General Land

1-13     Office has to acquire, manage, control, market, and dispose of real

1-14     property.

1-15           SECTION 2.  Subchapter G, Chapter 31, Natural Resources Code,

1-16     is amended by adding Sections 31.307 and 31.308 to read as follows:

1-17           Sec. 31.307.  DEDICATION OF ROADS.  The commissioner may

1-18     dedicate roads located on the land used as the site for the

1-19     superconducting super collider research facility to the county in

1-20     which the roads are located if the commissioner believes that the

1-21     dedication will enhance the value of remaining state land.

1-22           Sec. 31.308.  CONVEYANCE OF SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE ESTATE.

1-23     (a)  In this section, "subsurface estate" means the subsurface

1-24     acquired by the state to construct or maintain the underground

 2-1     accelerator partially built or proposed to be built as part of the

 2-2     superconducting super collider research facility.

 2-3           (b)  The commissioner shall convey the state's interest in

 2-4     the subsurface estate underlying the surface estate of land used as

 2-5     the site for the superconducting super collider research facility

 2-6     if the owner of the surface estate pays a sum equal to the fair

 2-7     market value of the subsurface estate as determined by the

 2-8     commissioner.  After the state conveys its interest in the

 2-9     subsurface estate as provided by this subsection, title to the

2-10     subsurface estate is reunited with the title to the surface estate.

2-11           (c)  Unless the instrument of conveyance provides otherwise,

2-12     a conveyance of the surface estate of land by the state under this

2-13     subchapter includes the conveyance of the subsurface estate to the

2-14     extent of the state's interest in the subsurface estate.

2-15           (d)  The commissioner may adopt rules necessary to implement

2-16     this section.

2-17           SECTION 3.  Subchapter G, Chapter 31, Natural Resources Code,

2-18     is amended by adding Section 31.309 to read as follows:

2-19           Sec. 31.309.  PREFERENCE RIGHT TO PURCHASE CERTAIN LAND.

2-20     (a)  A person or the person's heirs who conveyed land to the state

2-21     for use by the superconducting super collider research facility has

2-22     a preference right to purchase the same tract of land previously

2-23     conveyed before the tract is offered for sale by the state to any

2-24     other person.

2-25           (b)  A person who has a preference right under this section

2-26     must pay at least the fair market value for the land as determined

2-27     by an appraisal conducted by the General Land Office.

 3-1           (c)  This section does not apply to a subsurface estate as

 3-2     defined by Section 31.308.

 3-3           (d)  The commissioner may adopt rules necessary to implement

 3-4     this section.

 3-5           SECTION 4.  Section 23.46(c), Tax Code, is amended to read as

 3-6     follows:

 3-7           (c)  If land that has been designated for agricultural use in

 3-8     any year is sold or diverted to a nonagricultural use, the total

 3-9     amount of additional taxes for the three years preceding the year

3-10     in which the land is sold or diverted plus interest at the rate

3-11     provided for delinquent taxes becomes due.  A determination that

3-12     the land has been diverted to a nonagricultural use is made by the

3-13     chief appraiser.  For purposes of this subsection, the chief

3-14     appraiser may not consider any period during which land is owned by

3-15     the state in determining whether the land has been diverted to a

3-16     nonagricultural use.  The chief appraiser shall deliver a notice of

3-17     the determination to the owner of the land as soon as possible

3-18     after making the determination and shall include in the notice an

3-19     explanation of the owner's right to protest the determination.  If

3-20     the owner does not file a timely protest or if the final

3-21     determination of the protest is that the additional taxes are due,

3-22     the assessor for each taxing unit shall prepare and deliver a bill

3-23     for the additional taxes plus interest as soon as practicable after

3-24     the change of use occurs.  If the additional taxes are due because

3-25     of a sale of the land, the assessor for each taxing unit shall

3-26     prepare and deliver the bill as soon as practicable after the sale

3-27     occurs. The taxes and interest are due and become delinquent and

 4-1     incur penalties and interest as provided by law for ad valorem

 4-2     taxes imposed by the taxing unit if not paid before the next

 4-3     February 1 that is at least 20 days after the date the bill is

 4-4     delivered to the owner of the land.

 4-5           SECTION 5.  Section 23.55(a), Tax Code, is amended to read as

 4-6     follows:

 4-7           (a)  If the use of land that has been appraised as provided

 4-8     by this subchapter changes, an additional tax is imposed on the

 4-9     land equal to the difference between the taxes imposed on the land

4-10     for each of the five years preceding the year in which the change

4-11     of use occurs that the land was appraised as provided by this

4-12     subchapter and the tax that would have been imposed had the land

4-13     been taxed on the basis of market value in each of those years,

4-14     plus interest at an annual rate of seven percent calculated from

4-15     the dates on which the differences would have become due.  For

4-16     purposes of this subsection, the chief appraiser may not consider

4-17     any period during which land is owned by the state in determining

4-18     whether a change in the use of the land has occurred.

4-19           SECTION 6.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this

4-20     section, this Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

4-21           (b)  Section 3 of this Act takes effect January 1, 1998.

4-22           SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the

4-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

4-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

4-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

4-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.