BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1270
79R5282 JJT-D By: Jackson, Mike
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Current Texas law states that members of the board of the Texas Environmental Partnership Fund (fund), created during the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, serve on two-year renewable terms. The fund was established to further the nexus between education and business on environmental issues. The Governor's office is having a difficult time keeping qualified people on the board because of the limitations on the terms.
As proposed, S.B. 1270 creates six-year staggered terms for the appointed board members and requires 11 members, rather than 12.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Sections 5(a), (b), and (c), Chapter 105, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, as follows:
(a) Provides that the board of the Texas Environmental Education Partnership Fund consists of not more than 11, rather than 12 members, and specifies the members appointed by the governor and lieutenant governor.
(b) Requires the group of nine, rather than 10, members appointed by the governor under Subsection (a)(1) of this section to be culturally, ethnically, and geographically diverse.
(c) Provides that board members serve staggered six-year terms with the terms of three or four members expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year. Deletes existing text providing that a board member serves a renewable term of two years.
SECTION 2. Provides that notwithstanding the changes in law made by this Act, all members of the board of directors of the Texas Environmental Education Partnership Fund serving on the effective date of this Act continue to serve until their terms expire February 1, 2007. Requires the lieutenant governor, in making appointments to the board under Section 5, Chapter 105, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, as amended by this Act, for the terms beginning February 1, 2007, to appoint one board member to represent the senate for a term that expires February 1, 2013, and requires the governor to appoint specific members and provides the dates for the terms to expire.
SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2005.