By Shapleigh, et al. S.B. No. 1837
Substitute the following for S.B. No. 1837:
By Gallego C.S.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 adding
1-6 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 in part on investing 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. Texas should invest in and create economic
1-18 engines in the Texas-Mexico border region that will allow that part
1-19 of the state to grow, prosper, and participate in the Texas dream.
1-20 Strategic funding for one region of the state, even where the
1-21 benefit to the whole state is the primary objective. This
1-22 commission is established to bring a statewide perspective to
1-23 strategic Texas-Mexico border region investments.
1-24 Sec. 481.103. TEXAS BORDER STRATEGIC INVESTMENT COMMISSION;
2-1 MEMBERS. (a) The Texas Border Strategic Investment Commission is
2-2 established.
2-3 (b) The commission is composed of:
2-4 (1) the lieutenant governor;
2-5 (2) the speaker of the house of representatives;
2-6 (3) the comptroller;
2-7 (4) the commissioner of agriculture; and
2-8 (5) the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee
2-9 (6) the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee
2-10 (7) the secretary of state.
2-11 (c) The lieutenant governor shall serve as the chair of the
2-12 commission.
2-13 Sec. 481.104. FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION. (a) Prior to each
2-14 regular legislative session, the commission shall identify and
2-15 recommend funding for strategic economic development initiatives in
2-16 the six metropolitan statistical areas in the Texas-Mexico border
2-17 region.
2-18 (b) The strategic investment initiatives recommended shall
2-19 be identified using criteria that include the following:
2-20 (1) whether the initiative recommended is the most
2-21 significant investment the state can make in a key regional cluster
2-22 to produce a sound foundation for economic development;
2-23 (2) whether the investment recommended leverages other
2-24 significant funds or has an objective and calculable rate of
2-25 return;
2-26 (3) whether the recommendation is a clearly defined
2-27 concept with significant regional support;
3-1 (4) whether the concept recommended requires special
3-2 investment in order to be accomplished in the near future because
3-3 similar and timely funding by local, state, or federal sources in
3-4 the normal appropriations process is unlikely; and
3-5 (5) whether the investment recommended will increase
3-6 the per capita income and decrease the unemployment rate of the
3-7 affected area.
3-8 (c) The commission must make a recommendation for funding on
3-9 or before December 1 of each even-numbered year.
3-10 Sec. 481.105. REPORT. (a) Not later than December 1 of each
3-11 even-numbered year, the commission shall file a report with the
3-12 legislature that states the strategic investment initiatives
3-13 recommended by the commission during the preceding two-year period
3-14 and identify the initiatives that received funding during the
3-15 preceding fiscal biennium. The report must include any
3-16 recommendations for legislative action the commission considers
3-17 appropriate to further the creation or function of the commission.
3-18 (b) For those recommended initiatives that received funding
3-19 during the biennium in which the report is made, the commission
3-20 shall, in addition to evaluating other performance measures
3-21 identified by the commission, evaluate the following performance
3-22 measures in the report:
3-23 (1) the number of jobs created by the initiative and
3-24 the nature of economic development created by the initiative;
3-25 (2) the impact of any economic development on wage
3-26 rates in the affected metropolitan statistical area;
3-27 (3) the wages and benefits paid by the employer of the
4-1 created jobs compared to the county-wide average wage for the
4-2 particular industry sector that received funding;
4-3 (4) the other funds that were leveraged or the
4-4 calculable rate of return from the commission's investment in a
4-5 particular initiative;
4-6 (5) the initiative's ability to attract new industry
4-7 and economic development to the Texas-Mexico border region; and
4-8 (6) the duration and quality of the jobs, economic
4-9 development, and opportunities created.
4-10 Sec. 481.106. FUNDING. (a) In addition to any amount
4-11 appropriated by the legislature, the commission may request state
4-12 agencies to apply for funds from the federal government or any
4-13 other public or private entity. The commission may also solicit
4-14 grants, gifts, and donations from private sources on the state's
4-15 behalf. The use of a gift, grant, or donation solicited under this
4-16 section must be consistent with the purposes of the commission.
4-17 (b) The commission shall review and may require reports of
4-18 state agencies which receive appropriations, gifts, grants, funds,
4-19 or endowments as a result of the commission's recommendations.
4-20 (c) Agencies which receive gifts, grants, donations, or
4-21 endowments are authorized to accept such gifts, grants, donations,
4-22 or endowments.
4-23 (d) The commission may also study counties classified by the
4-24 Federal Government as "persistent poverty counties" to determine
4-25 strategic development needs and opportunities.
4-26 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
4-27 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
5-1 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
5-2 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
5-3 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.