HBA-DMD S.B. 1613 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1613 By: Lucio State, Federal, & International Relations 5/14/1999 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the County Arts Expansion Program of the Texas Commission on the Arts (commission) expands opportunities for arts programs to all parts of the state and ensures that arts programs are being supported in every Texas county. The program requires a one-to-one match and up to 50 percent of the match for project assistance may be in-kind donations, which may create difficulty in smaller border counties in matching the project funds. S.B. 1613 requires the commission to develop a program to provide financial assistance and on-site technical assistance in order to promote the development of the arts in certain counties. This bill requires the commission, for each of the five state fiscal years ending August 31, 2000, August 31, 2001, August 31, 2002, August 31, 2003, and August 31, 2004, to reserve $3,000 for each of those counties, out of money appropriated to the commission that may be used for this purpose, in order to implement the program in each of those counties during the fiscal year. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 444, Government Code, by adding Section 444.031, as follows: Sec. 444.031. BORDER AND RURAL COMMUNITY ARTS INITIATIVE. (a) Requires the Texas Commission on the Arts (commission) to develop a program under which the commission will provide financial assistance and on-site technical assistance to promote the development of the arts in the 25 counties in this state located on or nearest to an international border and in counties with a population of less than 50,000. Requires the commission to model the program after its county arts expansion program except that the commission is prohibited from requiring a county to provide matching funds to participate in the program. (b) Requires the commission, for each of the five state fiscal years ending August 31, 2000, August 31, 2001, August 31, 2002, August 31, 2003, and August 31, 2004, to reserve $3,000 for each of the counties, out of money appropriated to the commission that is authorized to be used for this purpose, in order to implement the program in each of those counties during the fiscal year. (c) Provides that this section expires September 1, 2004. SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999, except as provided by SECTION 3 of this Act. SECTION 3.Provides that this Act takes effect only if a specific appropriation for the implementation of this Act is provided in H.B. No. 1, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999. Provides that if no specific appropriation is provided in H.B. No. 1, this Act has no effect. SECTION 4.Emergency clause.