1-1     By:  Truan                                             S.B. No. 811

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 26, 1997; March 4, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on International Relations,

 1-4     Trade, and Technology; March 20, 1997, reported favorably by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; March 20, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the use of certain telecommunications facilities of

 1-9     institutions of higher education to assist small business.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is

1-12     amended by adding Section 51.9125 to read as follows:

1-13           Sec. 51.9125.  USE OF TELECONFERENCING FACILITIES TO ASSIST

1-14     SMALL BUSINESS.  (a)  Each institution of higher education that

1-15     includes or is affiliated with a small business development center

1-16     shall make its teleconferencing facilities available to the center

1-17     at reasonable times when those facilities are not in use for other

1-18     purposes of the institution.  A small business development center

1-19     may use those teleconferencing facilities when available to assist

1-20     small businesses in this state to expand their trade links outside

1-21     this state.

1-22           (b)  Each institution of higher education that operates

1-23     teleconferencing facilities shall, if requested to do so by the

1-24     District Export Council organized by the United States Department

1-25     of Commerce for the region in which the institution is located,

1-26     consult with that council to discuss the feasibility of permitting

1-27     the council to have access to those facilities to assist small

1-28     businesses in this state to expand their trade links outside this

1-29     state.

1-30           (c)  A small business development center or District Export

1-31     Council that uses teleconferencing facilities under this section

1-32     must reimburse the institution of higher education for the use of

1-33     the facilities.  The institution may not charge the center or

1-34     council a higher rate for use of those facilities than it charges

1-35     any other person.

1-36           (d)  In this section, "institution of higher education" has

1-37     the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.

1-38           (e)  This section expires September 1, 2002.

1-39           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-40           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-41     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-42     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-43     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-44     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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