By:  Lucio                                            S.B. No. 1202

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to directing the Texas Veterans Commission to determine

 1-2     the need for establishing state cemeteries for veterans.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 434.0076 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 434.0076.  FINDINGS AND STUDY ABOUT STATE VETERANS

 1-7     CEMETERIES.  (a)  The legislature finds that this state is one of

 1-8     the few states that do not provide state cemeteries for veterans.

 1-9     The legislature also finds that some federal cemeteries for

1-10     veterans in this state are closed and that many veterans in this

1-11     state live far from the nearest open veterans cemetery.  It is the

1-12     intent of the legislature to determine the extent to which there

1-13     exists in this state the need to provide state cemeteries for

1-14     veterans.

1-15           (b)  The commission shall contract with a qualified

1-16     consulting firm to study the need for and the feasibility of

1-17     establishing a system of state cemeteries for veterans under the

1-18     jurisdiction of the commission or of another agency of state

1-19     government.  The study must consider the existence of any federal

1-20     cemeteries for veterans in this state and the existence of any

1-21     county cemeteries for veterans established under Section 713.029,

1-22     Health and Safety Code.  The study must also consider whether any

1-23     land currently owned by the state is suitable for the establishment

 2-1     of a veterans cemetery and the extent to which federal money is

 2-2     available to pay for part of the construction cost of state

 2-3     veterans cemeteries.  The commission shall present the written

 2-4     findings of the study to the governor and the presiding officer of

 2-5     each house of the legislature before December 1, 1999.

 2-6           (c)  The commission is required to enter into a contract

 2-7     under this section only if the legislature appropriates money for

 2-8     that purpose.  If the legislature does not appropriate money for

 2-9     the contract, the commission may use available resources to conduct

2-10     its own study of the issue.

2-11           (d)  This section expires June 1, 2001.

2-12           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-13           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.