1-1     By:  Truan, Lucio                                      S.B. No. 844

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 27, 1997; March 4, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Finance; April 25, 1997,

 1-4     reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 12, Nays 0;

 1-5     April 25, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the allocation and use of community development block

 1-9     grants in certain economically distressed areas.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 2306.098, Government Code, is amended by

1-12     adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

1-13           (c)  The comptroller each fiscal year shall deposit $2

1-14     million of the federal money received by the state under the

1-15     community development block grant program in an account in the

1-16     general revenue fund to be administered by the department under

1-17     this section.  Money in the account may be used only to provide

1-18     financial assistance in economically distressed areas to pay for

1-19     residential service lines, hookups, and plumbing improvements

1-20     associated with being connected to a water supply or sewer service

1-21     system financed under the economically distressed areas program

1-22     established under Subchapter J, Chapter 16, Water Code, and

1-23     Subchapter K, Chapter 17, Water Code.  The department by rule shall

1-24     provide that an application for assistance under the program

1-25     authorized by this subsection may be submitted after construction

1-26     of the water supply or sewer service system begins.  The department

1-27     shall approve or disapprove a timely application before

1-28     construction of the water supply or sewer service system is

1-29     completed in order to eliminate delay in hookups once construction

1-30     is completed.  The department and the Texas Water Development Board

1-31     shall coordinate and combine resources to streamline the

1-32     application process for hookup funds under this subsection and

1-33     under Subchapter L, Chapter 15, Water Code, and shall share

1-34     information elicited by each agency's application procedure in

1-35     order to eliminate the need for applicants to complete different

1-36     forms with similar information.  In this subsection, "economically

1-37     distressed area" has the meaning assigned by Section 17.921, Water

1-38     Code.

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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