By: Shapleigh, et al. S.B. No. 1837
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the creation of the Texas Border Strategic Investment
1-3 Commission; making an appropriation.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 481, Government Code, is amended by
1-6 adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
1-7 SUBCHAPTER G. TEXAS BORDER STRATEGIC INVESTMENT COMMISSION
1-8 Sec. 481.101. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-9 (1) "Commission" means the Texas Border Strategic
1-10 Investment Commission.
1-11 (2) "Texas-Mexico border region" has the meaning
1-12 assigned by Section 2056.002.
1-13 Sec. 481.102. PURPOSE. The future economic health of this
1-14 state is dependent on investing now in the Texas-Mexico border
1-15 region. The Texas-Mexico border region has the highest poverty and
1-16 unemployment rates in the country, and the per capita income is the
1-17 lowest in the country. An emergency situation exists. Texas must
1-18 invest in and create economic engines in the Texas-Mexico border
1-19 region that will allow that part of the state to grow, prosper, and
1-20 participate in the Texas dream. If this is not done, the future
1-21 cost to the state to provide for the Texas-Mexico border region
1-22 will increase and affect future family incomes across Texas.
1-23 Strategic funding for one region of the state, even where the
1-24 benefit to the whole state is the primary objective, is politically
1-25 difficult to achieve in the legislative process. Therefore, this
2-1 commission is established and funded to bring a statewide
2-2 perspective to strategic Texas-Mexico border region investments.
2-3 Sec. 481.103. TEXAS BORDER STRATEGIC INVESTMENT COMMISSION;
2-4 MEMBERS. (a) The Texas Border Strategic Investment Commission is
2-5 established.
2-6 (b) The commission is composed of:
2-7 (1) the lieutenant governor;
2-8 (2) the speaker of the house of representatives;
2-9 (3) the comptroller;
2-10 (4) the commissioner of agriculture; and
2-11 (5) the secretary of state.
2-12 (c) The lieutenant governor shall serve as the chair of the
2-13 commission.
2-14 Sec. 481.104. FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION. (a) To the extent
2-15 that funds are specifically appropriated for the purpose, the
2-16 commission shall, after the conclusion of each regular session of
2-17 the legislature, meet, identify, and direct funding for strategic
2-18 economic development initiatives in the six metropolitan
2-19 statistical areas in the Texas-Mexico border region.
2-20 (b) The strategic investment initiatives to receive funding
2-21 shall be identified using criteria that include the following:
2-22 (1) whether the initiative is the most significant
2-23 investment the state can make in a key regional cluster to produce
2-24 a sound foundation for economic development;
2-25 (2) whether the investment leverages other significant
2-26 funds or has an objective and calculable rate of return;
3-1 (3) whether the funds are being invested in a clearly
3-2 defined concept with significant regional support;
3-3 (4) whether the concept requires special investment in
3-4 order to be accomplished in the near future because similar and
3-5 timely funding by local, state, or federal sources in the normal
3-6 appropriations process is unlikely; and
3-7 (5) whether the investment will increase the per
3-8 capita income and decrease the unemployment rate of the affected
3-9 area.
3-10 (c) The commission must identify initiatives for funding on
3-11 or before December 1 of each odd-numbered year.
3-12 Sec. 481.105. REPORT. (a) Not later than December 1 of
3-13 each even-numbered year, the commission shall file a report with
3-14 the legislature that states the strategic investment initiatives
3-15 considered by the commission during the preceding two-year period
3-16 and identifies the initiatives that received funding during the
3-17 preceding fiscal biennium. The report must include any
3-18 recommendations for legislative action the commission considers
3-19 appropriate to further the creation or function of the commission.
3-20 (b) For those initiatives that received funding from the
3-21 commission during the biennium in which the report is made, the
3-22 commission shall, in addition to evaluating other performance
3-23 measures identified by the commission, evaluate the following
3-24 performance measures in the report:
3-25 (1) the number of jobs created by the initiative and
3-26 the nature of economic development created by the initiative;
4-1 (2) the impact of any economic development on wage
4-2 rates in the affected metropolitan statistical area;
4-3 (3) the wages and benefits paid by the employer of the
4-4 created jobs compared to the county-wide average wage for the
4-5 particular industry sector that received funding;
4-6 (4) the other funds that were leveraged or the
4-7 calculable rate of return from the commission's investment in a
4-8 particular initiative;
4-9 (5) the initiative's ability to attract new industry
4-10 and economic development to the Texas-Mexico border region; and
4-11 (6) the duration and quality of the jobs, economic
4-12 development, and opportunities created.
4-13 Sec. 481.106. FUNDING. (a) In addition to any amount
4-14 appropriated by the legislature, the commission may apply for and
4-15 accept funds from the federal government or any other public or
4-16 private entity. The commission may also solicit and accept grants,
4-17 gifts, and donations from private sources on the commission's
4-18 behalf. The use of a gift, grant, or donation solicited or
4-19 accepted under this section must be consistent with the purposes of
4-20 the commission.
4-21 (b) The commission shall administer and approve
4-22 disbursements of any appropriation, fund, pledge, gift, or
4-23 endowment that is the property of the commission.
4-24 SECTION 2. There is appropriated from the economic
4-25 stabilization fund the sum of $250,000,000 to the Texas Border
4-26 Strategic Investment Commission established under Subchapter G,
5-1 Chapter 481, Government Code, as added by this Act, for the
5-2 two-year period beginning September 1, 2001, for the purposes of
5-3 that subchapter.
5-4 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
5-5 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
5-6 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
5-7 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
5-8 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.