HBA-JLV H.B. 819 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 819 By: Counts Land & Resource Management 6/14/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Texas Department of Economic Development (TDED) was created by the 75th Legislature in an effort to assist communities with special needs and challenges. The Office of Rural Affairs (office) was created within TDED to assist rural communities in Texas with enhancement of their economic development competitiveness. In an effort to make the office a more viable tool for addressing the needs and challenges of rural Texas, proponents sought to transfer the office to the commissioner of agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). House Bill 819 transfers all powers, duties, rights, and obligations of TDED relating to the Office of Rural Affairs to TDA. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 819 amends the Government and Agriculture codes to transfer all of the powers, duties, rights, and obligations of the Texas Department of Economic Development (TDED) relating to the Office of Rural Affairs (office) to the commissioner of agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). The bill provides that all assets, liabilities, personnel, equipment, data, documents, facilities, and other items relating to the office are transferred from TDED to TDA. The bill provides that any appropriation to the TDED relating to the office is transferred to TDA. The bill authorizes the governing board of TDED to decide whether to transfer to TDA personnel who perform both duties related and not related to the office as well as whether to transfer assets used by both the office and other divisions of TDED. The bill requires officers and employees of TDED and TDA to cooperate fully with the transfer. The bill also requires that the transfer occur on the date specified in an interagency contract among the governing board of TDED, the director of the office, and TDA, but not later than January 1, 2002 EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.