75R13078 JRD-D                          

         By Truan                                              S.B. No. 1514

         Substitute the following for S.B. No. 1514:

         By Oliveira                                       C.S.S.B. No. 1514

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to coordinating colonia initiatives.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.   Subchapter B, Chapter 402, Government Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 402.029 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 402.029.  COORDINATION OF COLONIA INITIATIVES.  (a)  In

 1-7     this section:

 1-8                 (1)  "Agency" includes a state office, institution, or

 1-9     other state governmental entity.

1-10                 (2)  "Colonia" means a geographic area that:

1-11                       (A)  has a majority of the area's population

1-12     composed of individuals and families of low income and very low

1-13     income, based on the federal Office of Management and Budget

1-14     poverty index; and

1-15                       (B)  is an economically distressed area as

1-16     defined by Section 17.921, Water Code.

1-17           (b)  The following agencies shall designate an officer or

1-18     employee of the agency to serve as the agency's coordinator of

1-19     colonia initiatives:

1-20                 (1)  the office of the attorney general;

1-21                 (2)  the Texas Education Agency;

1-22                 (3)  the Texas Department of Health;

1-23                 (4)  the Texas Department of Housing and Community

1-24     Affairs;

 2-1                 (5)  the Texas Natural Resource Conservation

 2-2     Commission;

 2-3                 (6)  the Texas Water Development Board;

 2-4                 (7)  The University of Texas--Pan American; and

 2-5                 (8)  the Texas Workforce Commission.

 2-6           (c)  Each agency's coordinator of colonia initiatives must be

 2-7     the equivalent of a deputy executive director at the agency or have

 2-8     direct or indirect authority over the equivalent of a deputy

 2-9     executive director at the agency.

2-10           (d)  Each agency's coordinator of colonia initiatives shall

2-11     coordinate colonia initiatives within the agency and with the other

2-12     agencies listed in Subsection (b).

2-13           (e)  The attorney general's coordinator of colonia

2-14     initiatives shall preside over the group of coordinators for

2-15     purposes of interagency coordination.

2-16           (f)  The group of coordinators shall meet at least

2-17     semiannually at the call of the attorney general's coordinator or

2-18     according to a schedule established by the group.

2-19           (g)  Representatives of each agency listed in Subsection (b)

2-20     who are assigned to duty at an office of the agency near the

2-21     international border of this state and whose assigned duties

2-22     include responsibility for some aspect of the agency's work with

2-23     colonias or with residents of colonias shall meet with each other

2-24     according to a schedule established by the representatives to

2-25     coordinate colonia initiatives at the local level. Representatives

2-26     from the agencies' offices that serve the same county or counties

2-27     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.