By:  Truan                                            S.B. No. 1514

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to coordinating colonia initiatives.

 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 402, Government Code, is

 1-4     amended by adding Section 402.029 to read as follows:

 1-5           Sec. 402.029.  COORDINATION OF COLONIA INITIATIVES.  (a)  In

 1-6     this section, "colonia" means a geographic area located in a county

 1-7     some part of which is located within 150 miles of the international

 1-8     border of this state that:

 1-9                 (1)  has a majority of the area's population composed

1-10     of individuals and families of low income and very low income,

1-11     based on the federal Office of Management and Budget poverty index;

1-12     and

1-13                 (2)  is an economically distressed area as defined by

1-14     Section 17.921, Water Code.

1-15           (b)  The following state agencies shall designate an officer

1-16     or employee of the agency to serve as the agency's coordinator of

1-17     colonia initiatives:

1-18                 (1)  the office of the attorney general;

1-19                 (2)  the Texas Education Agency;

1-20                 (3)  the Texas Department of Health;

1-21                 (4)  the Texas Department of Housing and Community

1-22     Affairs;

1-23                 (5)  the Texas Natural Resource Conservation

 2-1     Commission;

 2-2                 (6)  the Texas Water Development Board; and

 2-3                 (7)  the Texas Workforce Commission.

 2-4           (c)  Each agency's coordinator of colonia initiatives must be

 2-5     the equivalent of a deputy executive director at the agency or have

 2-6     direct or indirect authority over the equivalent of a deputy

 2-7     executive director at the agency.

 2-8           (d)  Each agency's coordinator of colonia initiatives shall

 2-9     coordinate colonia initiatives within the agency and with the other

2-10     agencies listed in Subsection (b).

2-11           (e)  The attorney general's coordinator of colonia

2-12     initiatives shall preside over the group of coordinators for

2-13     purposes of interagency coordination.

2-14           (f)  The group of coordinators shall meet at least

2-15     semiannually at the call of the attorney general's coordinator or

2-16     according to a schedule established by the group.

2-17           (g)  Representatives of each state agency listed in

2-18     Subsection (b) who are assigned to duty at an office of the agency

2-19     near the international border of this state and whose assigned

2-20     duties include responsibility for some aspect of the agency's work

2-21     with colonias or with residents of colonias shall meet with each

2-22     other according to a schedule established by the representatives to

2-23     coordinate colonia initiatives at the local level. Representatives

2-24     from the agencies' offices that serve the same county or counties

2-25     may meet together, or representatives from all of the agencies'

 3-1     offices near the international border may meet together.

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

 3-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 3-7     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 3-8     passage, and it is so enacted.