BILL ANALYSIS
By: West, Royce
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
S.B. 1742 authorizes certain nature centers to charge admission fees to supplement the managing organization's existing funding and ensure that adequate resources are available to maintain the property's acreage and its many trails. This legislation will not provide primary revenue for the operations and management of the centers, but will ensure that supplemental funding is available to ensure adequate levels of operations for the safety and comfort of the many visiting children and adults.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subtitle C, Title 10, Local Government Code, by adding Chapter 336, as follows:
CHAPTER 336. NATURE CENTERS
Sec. 336.001. AUTHORITY OF CERTAIN NATURE CENTERS TO CHARGE ADMISSION FEE. (a) Defines "nature center"
(b) Provides that this section applies only in a county with a population of 1.8 million or more.
(c) Authorizes the board of directors of a not-for-profit entity that maintains county and municipal park property as a nature center under a formal agreement to charge an admission fee for entrance onto or use of the county and municipal property. Requires any fee to be approved each year by the county and the municipality.
(d) Authorizes fees collected under this section to be used only to provide educational programs conducted on, to maintain, or to construct improvements to the county and municipal property.
(e) Requires fees collected under this section to be audited annually by an independent auditor. Requires all audit reports to be submitted to the county and municipality on completion.
SECTION 2. Effective date
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2005.