By Seaman, Morrison, Uher, Capelo, et al.             H.B. No. 1223
         76R5386 BDH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to a historical artifacts program under the Texas
 1-3     Historical Commission.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 442, Government Code, is amended by
 1-6     adding Section 442.0145 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 442.0145.  TEXAS HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS PROGRAM; FUND.
 1-8     (a)  The commission shall administer a program to assist
 1-9     municipalities, counties, museums, and county historical
1-10     commissions with the development or improvement of museum
1-11     facilities used to display historical artifacts discovered in Texas
1-12     that are significant in Texas or American history.
1-13           (b)  The Texas Historical Artifacts Program fund is created
1-14     as a separate account in the general revenue fund.  The fund is
1-15     composed of  money appropriated to the fund, money deposited to the
1-16     fund under Subsection (c), and interest received from investments
1-17     of money in the fund that the comptroller shall allocate to the
1-18     fund. Sections 403.095 and 404.071 do not apply to the fund or to
1-19     interest received from investments of money in the fund. Money in
1-20     the fund may be spent only as provided by the commission under this
1-21     section.
1-22           (c)  The commission may accept, for deposit in the Texas
1-23     Historical Artifacts Program fund, grants or other donations from
1-24     any source.
 2-1           (d)  The commission shall establish rules governing the use,
 2-2     administration, and distribution of the Texas Historical Artifacts
 2-3     Program fund. The rules must ensure that money in the fund is used
 2-4     only for the purposes prescribed by Subsection (a), including
 2-5     paying the expenses of administering the program.
 2-6           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-7     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-8     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-9     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-10     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-11     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-12     passage, and it is so enacted.