1-1 By: Ellis S.B. No. 1527 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1997; March 20, 1997, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental 1-4 Relations; April 3, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 10, Nays 0; April 3, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to establishing a home buyer education program. 1-9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-10 SECTION 1. Subchapter K, Chapter 2306, Government Code, is 1-11 amended by adding Section 2306.253 to read as follows: 1-12 Sec. 2306.253. HOME BUYER EDUCATION PROGRAM. (a) The 1-13 department shall develop and implement a statewide home buyer 1-14 education program designed to provide information and counseling to 1-15 prospective home buyers about the home buying process. The 1-16 department shall implement the program by cooperating with the 1-17 Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the Real Estate Research 1-18 Center at Texas A&M University, other appropriate state agencies, 1-19 experienced providers of home buyer education, mortgage lenders, 1-20 the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Neighborhood 1-21 Reinvestment Corporation, and other appropriate organizations to 1-22 develop and provide a standard system of instruction, curriculum, 1-23 and counseling. 1-24 (b) The department and the entities with which it is 1-25 cooperating shall make full use of existing training and 1-26 informational materials available from sources such as the federal 1-27 Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Neighborhood 1-28 Reinvestment Corporation. 1-29 (c) To pay the costs of providing the information and 1-30 counseling to prospective home buyers in this state, the department 1-31 may use money available to the department for housing purposes that 1-32 the department is not prohibited from spending on the home buyer 1-33 education program, including: 1-34 (1) the amount of administrative or service fees the 1-35 department receives from the issuance or refunding of bonds that 1-36 exceeds the amount the department needs to pay its overhead costs 1-37 in administering its bond programs; and 1-38 (2) money the department receives from other entities 1-39 by gift or grant or under a contract. 1-40 (d) The department annually shall report to the legislature 1-41 the number of home loans made in this state during the previous 1-42 year to persons and families of low income, of moderate income, and 1-43 of high income. 1-44 SECTION 2. The Texas Department of Housing and Community 1-45 Affairs shall implement throughout the state the home buyer 1-46 education program established under Section 2306.253, Government 1-47 Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 31, 1999. 1-48 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-49 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-50 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-51 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-52 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-53 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-54 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-55 * * * * *