78R7944 MI-D
By: Branch H.B. No. 2882
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the preservation of historic courthouses.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 442.0081(b) and (d), Government Code,
are amended to read as follows:
(b) A county that owns a historic courthouse may apply to
the commission for a grant or loan for a historic courthouse
project. The application must:
(1) state the location of the courthouse;
(2) state whether the courthouse is or is likely to
become a historic structure;
(3) state the amount of money or in-kind contributions
that the county promises to contribute to the project;
(4) state whether the courthouse is currently
functioning as a courthouse or served as a functioning courthouse
for 75 years or more;
(5) include any plans, including a master preservation
plan, that the county may have for the project; and
(6) include any other information that the commission
by rule may require.
(d) In considering whether to grant an application, the
commission shall give preference to:
(1) a proposed project to preserve or restore a
courthouse:
(A) that is or is likely to become a historic
structure; and
(B) that:
(i) is still functioning as a courthouse or
served as a functioning courthouse for 75 years or more;
(ii) was built before 1875; or
(iii) is subject to a conservation easement
held by the commission; and
(2) a county that will provide or has provided at least
15 percent of the project's costs, including:
(A) in-kind contributions; and
(B) previous expenditures for master planning
and renovations on the courthouse that are the subject of the
application.
SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.
(b) The change in law made by this Act applies only to an
application for a grant or loan from the historic courthouse
preservation program that is filed with the Texas Historical
Commission on or after September 1, 2003.