By Jackson S.B. No. 1746
76R3610 MI-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the creation and administration of the Texas
1-3 Environmental Education Partnership Fund and the Texas
1-4 Environmental Education Partnership trust fund.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act:
1-7 (1) "Board" means the board of directors of the TEEP
1-8 Fund.
1-9 (2) "Participating partner" means an entity designated
1-10 as a participating partner under Section 4 of this Act.
1-11 (3) "TEEP Fund" means the Texas Environmental
1-12 Education Partnership Fund established under Section 2 of this Act.
1-13 (4) "TEEP trust fund" means the Texas Environmental
1-14 Education Partnership trust fund established under Section 6 of
1-15 this Act.
1-16 SECTION 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF TEXAS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
1-17 PARTNERSHIP FUND. The Texas Environmental Education Partnership
1-18 Fund is established and shall operate as a public/private nonprofit
1-19 education partnership.
1-20 SECTION 3. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas Environmental
1-21 Education Partnership Fund is to:
1-22 (1) raise money to pay for the development and
1-23 implementation of environmental education projects, activities, and
1-24 programs proposed by a participating partner, including:
2-1 (A) environmental education materials;
2-2 (B) appropriate scholarships for teachers of
2-3 environmentally related subjects; and
2-4 (C) other environmental education projects,
2-5 activities, or programs approved by the board; and
2-6 (2) review for approval and funding environmental
2-7 education projects, activities, and programs proposed by a
2-8 participating partner.
2-9 SECTION 4. DESIGNATION OF PARTICIPATING PARTNER. (a) The
2-10 board shall designate one or more public/private partnership
2-11 entities as a participating partner to develop and propose
2-12 environmental education projects, activities, and programs to
2-13 receive assistance from the TEEP Fund.
2-14 (b) A participating partner must represent a broad spectrum
2-15 of public and private interests relating to environmental and
2-16 educational concerns.
2-17 SECTION 5. TEEP FUND BOARD. (a) The board consists of not
2-18 more than 12 members appointed as follows:
2-19 (1) 10 members appointed by the governor to provide
2-20 balanced representation from the following groups:
2-21 (A) business and industry;
2-22 (B) agriculture;
2-23 (C) nongovernmental organizations;
2-24 (D) K-12 educators;
2-25 (E) university educators;
2-26 (F) local and state government;
2-27 (G) environmental education providers; and
3-1 (H) parents;
3-2 (2) one member appointed by the lieutenant governor to
3-3 represent the Texas Senate; and
3-4 (3) one member appointed by the speaker of the Texas
3-5 House of Representatives to represent the Texas House of
3-6 Representatives.
3-7 (b) A board member is appointed for a term of two years
3-8 expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year.
3-9 (c) A board member serves at the will of the appointing
3-10 official.
3-11 (d) A board member representing the senate or house of
3-12 representatives is a nonvoting member.
3-13 (e) A board member is not entitled to compensation but is
3-14 entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses
3-15 incurred in performing board duties.
3-16 (f) The board may accept donations, gifts, grants, or other
3-17 money made available to the TEEP Fund for the purposes of this Act.
3-18 The board shall deposit to the credit of the TEEP trust fund a
3-19 donation, gift, grant, or other money accepted by the board under
3-20 this subsection.
3-21 SECTION 6. TEEP TRUST FUND. (a) The Texas Environmental
3-22 Education Partnership trust fund is established as a trust fund
3-23 outside the treasury to be held by the Texas Treasury Safekeeping
3-24 Trust Company and administered by the board of the Texas
3-25 Environmental Education Partnership Fund for the benefit of:
3-26 (1) a participating partner; or
3-27 (2) environmental education projects, activities, and
4-1 programs proposed by a participating partner and approved by the
4-2 board.
4-3 (b) Money in the fund may be used only to:
4-4 (1) award grants or money for environmental education
4-5 projects, activities, and programs proposed by a participating
4-6 partner and approved by the board; and
4-7 (2) reimburse board members for actual expenses
4-8 incurred in performing board duties as authorized by Section 5(e)
4-9 of this Act.
4-10 (c) The trust fund consists of donations, gifts, grants, or
4-11 other money made available to the TEEP Fund for the purposes of
4-12 this Act.
4-13 SECTION 7. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. (a) The board shall adopt
4-14 and publish eligibility criteria to be considered in making a grant
4-15 or award of money from the trust fund.
4-16 (b) The criteria adopted by the board shall:
4-17 (1) include consideration of whether a proposed
4-18 project, activity, or program will:
4-19 (A) improve the quality of environmental
4-20 education in the state;
4-21 (B) identify and increase resources for
4-22 environmental education; and
4-23 (C) be adaptable to and represent the diverse
4-24 environmental aspects of the state; and
4-25 (2) give primary consideration to projects,
4-26 activities, and programs that:
4-27 (A) promote balanced views based on sound
5-1 science; and
5-2 (B) include instruction on or exercises in
5-3 critical thinking.
5-4 SECTION 8. APPOINTMENT OF BOARD. (a) As soon as
5-5 practicable after the effective date of this Act, the governor, the
5-6 lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of
5-7 representatives shall appoint members to the board as provided by
5-8 Section 5(a) of this Act.
5-9 (b) The initial members of the board are appointed for terms
5-10 expiring February 1, 2001.
5-11 SECTION 9. EMERGENCY. The importance of this legislation
5-12 and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
5-16 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-17 passage, and it is so enacted.