1-1 By: Turner of Harris (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 2631 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1999; 1-3 April 22, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Natural Resources; May 5, 1999, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 5, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to a grant program for agricultural projects in certain 1-9 public school districts. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Title 3, Agriculture Code, is amended by adding 1-12 Chapter 46 to read as follows: 1-13 CHAPTER 46. AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS IN CERTAIN URBAN SCHOOLS 1-14 Sec. 46.001. CREATION. Consistent with this chapter, the 1-15 department by rule shall develop a program to award grants to 1-16 public elementary schools located in large urban school districts 1-17 for the purpose of establishing demonstration agricultural 1-18 projects. 1-19 Sec. 46.002. ELIGIBILITY. Subject to available funds, a 1-20 public elementary school is eligible to receive a grant under this 1-21 chapter if the school: 1-22 (1) is located in a school district with an enrollment 1-23 of at least 49,000 students, except that if more than $25,000 is 1-24 appropriated for the purposes of this chapter, a school is eligible 1-25 if it is located in a school district with an enrollment of at 1-26 least 45,000 students; and 1-27 (2) submits to the department, at the time and in the 1-28 form required by the department, a proposal for a demonstration 1-29 agricultural project that includes: 1-30 (A) a description of the proposed project; 1-31 (B) a schedule of projected costs for the 1-32 project; and 1-33 (C) a statement of the educational benefits of 1-34 the project, including how the project will improve understanding 1-35 of agriculture. 1-36 Sec. 46.003. LIMITS. (a) The department may not award more 1-37 than $2,500 to a school under this chapter in a school year. 1-38 (b) The department may not award a grant to more than one 1-39 school within the same school district in a school year. 1-40 Sec. 46.004. REPORT. A school that receives a grant under 1-41 this chapter must report the results of the project to the 1-42 department in a manner determined by the department. 1-43 Sec. 46.005. FUNDS. The department may solicit and accept 1-44 gifts, grants, and other donations from any source to carry out 1-45 this chapter. 1-46 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-47 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-48 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-49 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-50 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-51 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-52 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-53 * * * * *