By Ellis S.B. No. 1527 75R7699 JRD-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to establishing a home buyer education program. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter K, Chapter 2306, Government Code, is 1-5 amended by adding Section 2306.253 to read as follows: 1-6 Sec. 2306.253. HOME BUYER EDUCATION PROGRAM. (a) The 1-7 department shall develop and implement a statewide home buyer 1-8 education program designed to provide information and counseling to 1-9 prospective home buyers about the home buying process. The 1-10 department shall implement the program by cooperating with the 1-11 Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the Real Estate Research 1-12 Center at Texas A&M University, other appropriate state agencies, 1-13 experienced providers of home buyer education, mortgage lenders, 1-14 the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Neighborhood 1-15 Reinvestment Corporation, and other appropriate organizations to 1-16 develop and provide a standard system of instruction, curriculum, 1-17 and counseling. 1-18 (b) The department and the entities with which it is 1-19 cooperating shall make full use of existing training and 1-20 informational materials available from sources such as the federal 1-21 Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Neighborhood 1-22 Reinvestment Corporation. 1-23 (c) To pay the costs of providing the information and 1-24 counseling to prospective home buyers in this state, the department 2-1 may use money available to the department for housing purposes that 2-2 the department is not prohibited from spending on the home buyer 2-3 education program, including: 2-4 (1) the amount of administrative or service fees the 2-5 department receives from the issuance or refunding of bonds that 2-6 exceeds the amount the department needs to pay its overhead costs 2-7 in administering its bond programs; and 2-8 (2) money the department receives from other entities 2-9 by gift or grant or under a contract. 2-10 (d) The department annually shall report to the legislature 2-11 the number of home loans made in this state during the previous 2-12 year to persons and families of low income, of moderate income, and 2-13 of high income. 2-14 SECTION 2. The Texas Department of Housing and Community 2-15 Affairs shall implement throughout the state the home buyer 2-16 education program established under Section 2306.253, Government 2-17 Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 31, 1999. 2-18 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-19 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-20 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-21 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-22 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-23 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-24 passage, and it is so enacted.