79S30773 JRD-D

By:  Williams, Janek                                              S.B. No. 23 



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the costs of damages to Lamar University and its related 
institutions caused by Hurricane Rita; making an appropriation.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  DEFINITION.  In this Act, "Lamar University or 
its related institutions" includes Lamar University and its 
educational centers, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State 
College--Port Arthur, and Lamar State College--Orange.
	SECTION 2.  APPROPRIATION.  (a)  In addition to amounts 
previously appropriated for the state fiscal biennium ending August 
31, 2007, the amount of $33,500,000 is appropriated out of the 
general revenue fund to the Texas State University System for the 
remainder of the state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2007, to 
pay the costs of or reimburse expenditures for repairing or 
replacing buildings and equipment damaged by Hurricane Rita at 
Lamar University or its related institutions.
	(b)  The Texas State University System shall distribute the 
money appropriated by Subsection (a) of this section to Lamar 
University and its related institutions, allocating the money among 
Lamar University and its related institutions as the system 
considers appropriate to address the hurricane-related needs of 
those institutions.
	SECTION 3.  FEDERAL MONEY.  (a)  If the Texas State 
University System, Lamar University or its related institutions, or 
another state agency, institution, or office receives 
reimbursement from the federal government for expenditures made by 
the state for the purposes described by Section 2 of this Act, the 
amounts received may not be spent without the prior approval of the 
governor and the Legislative Budget Board and any state statute 
dedicating that money for a particular purpose does not apply.
	(b)  It is the intent of the legislature that the governor 
and the Legislative Budget Board consider the money described by 
Subsection (a) of this section to be available for budget execution 
transfers to the extent that the governor and the Legislative 
Budget Board determine that the federal reimbursement covers the 
same costs or expenditures as those covered by the appropriation 
made by this Act.
	SECTION 4.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act takes effect 
immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members 
elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas 
Constitution.  If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for 
immediate effect, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the 
last day of the legislative session.