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.
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