Amend SB 1771 on third reading by adding the following appropriately numbered article to the bill:ARTICLE _____. CREATION AND OPERATION OF A TEXAS CERTIFIED RETIREMENT COMMUNITY PROGRAM. SECTION _____.01 Subchapter L, Chapter 481, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 481.175 to read as follows: Sec. 481.175. TEXAS CERTIFIED RETIREMENT COMMUNITY PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "program" means the Texas Certified Retirement Community Program. (b) The department shall, after appropriate research has been conducted, establish and maintain a Texas Certified Retirement Community Program in which retirees and potential retirees are encouraged to make their homes in Texas communities that have met the criteria for certification by the department as a Texas certified retirement community. In support of the program, the department shall identify issues of interest to retirees or potential retirees to inform those persons of the benefits of living in Texas. Issues of interest to retirees or potential retirees may include: (1) Texas' state and local tax structure; (2) housing opportunities and cost; (3) climate; (4) personal safety; (5) working opportunities; (6) health care services and other services along the continuum of care, including home-based and community-based services, housing for the elderly, assisted living, personal care, and nursing care facilities; (7) transportation; (8) continuing education; (9) leisure living; (10) recreation; (11) the performing arts; (12) festivals and events; (13) sports at all levels; and (14) other services and facilities that are necessary to enable persons to age in the community and in the least restrictive environment. (c) During the preliminary, research phase of the program, the department shall consult with the Office of Rural Community Affairs to establish rural parameters for program certification. (d) The mission of the program is to: (1) promote this state as a retirement destination to retirees and potential retirees both in and outside of Texas; (2) assist Texas communities in their efforts to market themselves as retirement locations and to develop communities that retirees would find attractive for a retirement lifestyle; (3) assist in the development of retirement communities and life-care communities for economic development purposes and as a means of providing a potential workforce and enriching Texas communities; and (4) encourage tourism to Texas in the form of mature market travel to Texas in reference to retirement desirability for the future and for the visitation of those who have chosen to retire in Texas. (e) The department shall coordinate the development and planning of the program with the governor, the Office of Rural Community Affairs, and any other state or local entity interested in participating in and promoting the program. (f) To obtain certification as a Texas certified retirement community, the following criteria must be met: (1) a resolution endorsing the local retirement recruitment effort must be adopted by the governing body of the applicable local political subdivision; (2) the program must have an official sponsoring organization that fulfills the duties described by Subsection (g); (3) a hospital and emergency medical services must be readily accessible to the community; (4) the community must maintain information on both resale housing and rental housing to ensure that the quantity is sufficient to meet the needs of potential new retiree residents; and (5) the community must conduct a retiree desirability assessment that emphasizes appropriate factors, including medical services, adult education opportunities, shopping, recreation, cultural opportunities, safety, aging services, and other services along a continuum of care, including home-based and community-based services, housing for the elderly, assisted living, personal care, and nursing care facilities. (g) An official sponsoring organization shall: (1) develop a community profile similar to that used by chambers of commerce, to include facts regarding crime statistics, tax information, recreational opportunities, and housing availability; (2) appoint an individual who will be accountable to the community and to the state; and (3) commit a minimum of $10,000 each year for the local program. (h) Each local political subdivision must have a general retiree attraction committee and a minimum of four subcommittees as follows: (1) a community inventory/assessment subcommittee, which shall conduct an unbiased inventory and assessment of whether the community can offer the basics that retirees demand and develop a professional portfolio containing brief biographies of professionals in the community; (2) a community relations/fund-raising subcommittee, which shall locate retirees living in the community, act as salespersons for the program, raise money necessary to run the program, recruit subcommittee members, organize special events, and promote and coordinate the program with local entities; (3) a marketing and promotion subcommittee, which shall establish a community image, evaluate target markets, develop and distribute promotional material, and coordinate advertising and public relations campaigns; and (4) an ambassadors subcommittee, which shall serve as the first contact with prospective retirees, provide tours and tour guides when prospects visit the community, respond to inquiries, log contacts made, invite prospects to special community events, and maintain continual contact with prospects until the time the prospects make a retirement location decision. (i) A retiree attraction committee shall: (1) submit a marketing plan detailing the mission, the target market, the competition, an analysis of the community's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and the strategies the program will employ to attain its goals; (2) work to gain the support of churches, clubs, businesses, and the local media, as necessary for the success of the program; and (3) submit a commitment and long-term plan as described by Subsection (k). (j) During the certification process, a representative of the retirement attraction committee shall attend state training meetings. (k) Before certification is awarded, the retiree attraction committee shall submit a written three-year commitment to the program and a long-term plan outlining steps the community will undertake to maintain its desirability as a destination for retirees. The long-term plan must outline plans to correct any facility and service deficiencies identified in the retiree desirability assessment required by Subsection (f)(5). The written commitment and long-range plan shall be forwarded to the department. (l) Not later than the 90th day after the date of certification, the governing body of a local political subdivision shall submit a complete retiree attraction package to the department. (m) On the certification of a community as a Texas certified retirement community under this section, the department shall provide the following assistance to the community: (1) assistance in the training of local staff and volunteers; (2) ongoing oversight and guidance in marketing, plus updates on national retirement trends; (3) inclusion in the state's national advertising and public relations campaigns and travel show promotions, including a prominent feature on the department's Internet website; (4) eligibility for state financial assistance for brochures, support material, and advertising; and (5) an annual evaluation and progress assessment on maintaining and improving the community's desirability as a home for retirees. (n) The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. SECTION _____.02 The Texas Department of Economic Development shall implement the program created by Section 481.175, Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than September 1, 2004.