1-1 By: Lewis of Tarrant, et al. (Senate Sponsor-Ogden) H.B. No. 889 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 26, 1999; 1-3 April 27, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Education; May 6, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 6, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to establishing an institute for the preservation of 1-9 history and culture at Prairie View A&M University. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 87, Education Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Section 87.106 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 87.106. INSTITUTE FOR PRESERVATION OF HISTORY AND 1-14 CULTURE. (a) The board of regents of The Texas A&M University 1-15 System shall establish at Prairie View A&M University an institute 1-16 for the preservation of Texas and American history and culture. 1-17 (b) The organization, control, and management of the 1-18 institute is vested in the board of regents. 1-19 (c) The employment of personnel by and the operating budget 1-20 of the institute are subject to the approval of the board of 1-21 regents. An employee of the institute is an employee of Prairie 1-22 View A&M University. 1-23 (d) The mission of the institute is to collect, preserve, 1-24 study, and make available for research information, records, 1-25 documents, artifacts, and other items relating to Texas history and 1-26 culture and to the history and culture of the United States and the 1-27 Americas as that history and culture relates to Texas. The 1-28 institute shall give special emphasis to collecting, preserving, 1-29 and studying information and items relating to the role and 1-30 contributions of African Americans to Texas history and culture, 1-31 including: 1-32 (1) the history of African-American education in 1-33 Texas; 1-34 (2) the contributions of African Americans to military 1-35 history; and 1-36 (3) the role and contributions of African Americans in 1-37 the settlement, development, and culture of Texas, including in the 1-38 areas of government, agriculture, science and industry, labor and 1-39 demography, business, nursing and medicine, public health, 1-40 architecture and engineering, the professions, sports, and the 1-41 arts. 1-42 (e) Consistent with its mission, the institute may: 1-43 (1) establish and operate a museum, archives, 1-44 automated systems for data access and retrieval, or similar 1-45 facilities; and 1-46 (2) operate educational and awareness programs, 1-47 particularly for students in public education. 1-48 (f) The board of regents or the university may solicit and 1-49 accept gifts and grants from a public or private source for the 1-50 benefit of the institute. 1-51 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-52 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-53 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-54 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-55 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-56 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-57 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-58 * * * * *