By:  McCall (Senate Sponsor - Staples)                            H.B. No. 2217
	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 22, 2005; 
April 25, 2005, read first time and referred to Committee on 
Finance; May 23, 2005, reported adversely, with favorable 
Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 12, Nays 0; 
May 23, 2005, sent to printer.)


COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2217                                   By:  Zaffirini

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the management of public school land and the permanent school fund. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 51.001(11), Natural Resources Code, is amended to read as follows: (11) "Market value" has the meaning assigned by Section 1.04, Tax Code [means the value of real property determined by an appraisal performed by an appraiser]. SECTION 2. The heading to Subchapter B, Chapter 51, Natural Resources Code, is amended to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER B. PROVISIONS GENERALLY APPLICABLE
TO THE MANAGEMENT [SALE AND LEASE]
OF PUBLIC SCHOOL AND ASYLUM LAND
SECTION 3. The heading to Section 51.011, Natural Resources Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 51.011. MANAGEMENT [SALE AND LEASE] OF PUBLIC SCHOOL LAND. SECTION 4. Section 51.011, Natural Resources Code, is amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows: (a) Any land that is set apart to the permanent school fund under the constitution and laws of this state together with the mineral estate in riverbeds, channels, and the tidelands, including islands, shall be subject to the sole and exclusive management and control of [controlled, sold, and leased by] the school land board and the commissioner under the provisions of this chapter and other applicable law. (a-1) The board may acquire, sell, lease, trade, improve, or otherwise manage, control, or use land that is set apart to the permanent school fund in any manner, at such prices, and under such terms and conditions as the board finds to be in the best interest of the fund. (a-2) Not later than October 15 of each year, the board shall report to the Legislative Budget Board the sale of any land that is set apart to the permanent school fund for less than appraised value or the purchase of any land that is set apart to the permanent school fund for more than appraised value during the preceding state fiscal year. SECTION 5. Section 51.051, Natural Resources Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 51.051. SALE OF LAND. All [Subject to the provisions of Section 32.109 of this code, all] sales of land described in Section 51.011 [of this code] shall be made by or under the direction of the school land board [to the applicant who submits the highest bid for the land at a price that is not less than the price set by the board for purchase of the land]. SECTION 6. Section 51.052, Natural Resources Code, is amended by amending Subsections (d), (e), and (i) and adding Subsection (l) to read as follows: (d) Before the land under this chapter is sold, the appraiser must appraise the land at its market value and file a copy of the appraisal with the commissioner. [No land covered by this chapter may be sold for less than the market value that appears in the appraisal made under this subsection.] (e) The owner of land that surrounds land in a tract shall have a preference right to purchase the tract before the land is made available for sale to any other person, provided the person having the preference right pays not less than the market value for the land as determined by the board and the board finds use of the preference to be in the best interest of the state. The board shall adopt rules to implement this preference right. (i) If no bid meeting minimum requirements is received for a tract of land offered at a sealed bid sale under Subchapter D of Chapter 32 [of this code], or if the transaction involves commercial real estate and the board determines that it is in the best interest of the permanent school fund, the asset management division of the land office may solicit proposals or negotiate a sale, exchange, or lease of the land to any person. The asset management division may [also] contract for the services of a real estate broker or of a private brokerage or real estate firm to assist in a [the real estate] transaction under this subsection. [The sale price may not be less than the market value.] The board must approve any negotiated sale, exchange, or lease of any land under this section. (l) If the board leases land under this subchapter and the lease includes the right to produce groundwater from the land, the lessee shall comply with the statutory provisions governing and the rules adopted by the groundwater conservation district, if any, in which the land is located, including the statutory provisions and rules governing the production and use of groundwater and the transfer of groundwater out of the district. SECTION 7. Sections 51.401(a) and (c), Natural Resources Code, are amended to read as follows: (a) The board may designate funds received from the sale of permanent school fund land under this chapter and the proceeds of future mineral leases and royalties generated from existing and future [active] leases of permanent school fund mineral interests received under Chapters 52 and 53 [of this code] for deposit in a special fund account of the permanent school fund in the State Treasury to be used by the board [to acquire fee or lesser interests in real property, including mineral and royalty interests, for the use and benefit of the permanent school fund,] as provided by [Section 51.402 of] this subchapter. (c) Money received from the sale of a particular piece of land [and designated for the acquisition of interests in real property] under this subchapter must be used by the board as provided by this subchapter not later than two years after the date of the sale of land from which the money is derived. Money received from the lease of minerals and royalties derived from [active] leases and designated for use by the board as provided by [the acquisition of interests in real property under] this subchapter must be used by the board not later than two years after the date the money is deposited in the special fund account. SECTION 8. Section 51.402, Natural Resources Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 51.402. USE OF DESIGNATED FUNDS [ACQUISITION OF INTEREST IN REAL PROPERTY]. (a) The board may use the money designated under Section 51.401 [of this subchapter to acquire real property and to pay the expenses of acquisitions and sales] for any of the following purposes: (1) to add to a tract of public school land to form a tract of sufficient size to be manageable; (2) to add contiguous land to public school land; (3) to acquire, as public school land, interests in real property for [of unique] biological, commercial, geological, cultural, or recreational purposes [value]; [or] (4) to acquire mineral and royalty interests for the use and benefit of the permanent school fund; (5) to protect, maintain, or enhance the value of public school land; (6) to acquire interests in real estate; or (7) to pay reasonable fees for professional services related to a permanent school fund investment. (b) Before using funds [acquiring real property] under Subsection (a) [of this section], the board must determine, using the prudent investor standard, that the use of the funds for the intended purpose [acquisition] is in the best interest of the permanent school fund. SECTION 9. Subchapter I, Chapter 51, Natural Resources Code, is amended by adding Sections 51.4021 and 51.408-51.412 to read as follows: Sec. 51.4021. APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL FUND MANAGERS. (a) The board may appoint investment managers to invest the money designated under Section 51.401 by contracting for professional investment management services with one or more organizations that are in the business of managing real estate investments. (b) To be eligible for appointment under this section, an investment manager must be: (1) registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. Section 80b-1 et seq.); (2) a bank as defined by that Act; or (3) an insurance company qualified to perform real estate investment services under the laws of more than one state. (c) In a contract under this section, the board shall specify any policies, requirements, or restrictions, including ethical standards and disclosure policies and criteria for determining the quality of investments and for the use of standard rating services, that the board adopts for real estate investments of the permanent school fund. Money designated under Section 51.401 may not be invested in a real estate investment trust, as defined by Section 200.001, Business Organizations Code. (d) Compensation paid to an investment manager by the board must be consistent with the compensation standards of the investment industry and compensation paid by similarly situated institutional investors. (e) Chapter 2263, Government Code, applies to investment managers appointed under this section. The board by rule shall adopt standards of conduct for investment managers appointed under this section as required by Section 2263.004, Government Code, and shall implement the disclosure requirements of Section 2263.005 of that code. Sec. 51.408. ETHICS POLICY AND TRAINING. (a) In addition to any other requirements provided by law, the board shall adopt and enforce an ethics policy that provides standards of conduct relating to the management and investment of the funds designated under Section 51.401. The ethics policy must include provisions that address the following issues as they apply to the management and investment of the funds and to persons responsible for managing and investing the funds: (1) general ethical standards; (2) conflicts of interest; (3) prohibited transactions and interests; (4) the acceptance of gifts and entertainment; (5) compliance with applicable professional standards; (6) ethics training; and (7) compliance with and enforcement of the ethics policy. (b) The ethics policy must include provisions applicable to: (1) members of the board; (2) the commissioner; (3) employees of the board; and (4) any person who provides services to the board relating to the management or investment of the funds designated under Section 51.401. (c) Not later than the 45th day before the date on which the board intends to adopt a proposed ethics policy or an amendment to or revision of an adopted ethics policy, the board shall submit a copy of the proposed policy, amendment, or revision to the Texas Ethics Commission and the state auditor for review and comments. The board shall consider any comments from the commission or state auditor before adopting the proposed policy. (d) The provisions of the ethics policy that apply to a person who provides services to the board relating to the management or investment of the funds designated under Section 51.401 must be based on the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Professional Conduct prescribed by the Association for Investment Management and Research or other ethics standards adopted by another appropriate professionally recognized entity. (e) The board shall ensure that applicable provisions of the ethics policy are included in any contract under which a person provides services to the board relating to the management and investment of the funds designated under Section 51.401. Sec. 51.409. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND FINANCES. (a) A member of the board, the commissioner, an employee of the board, or a person who provides services to the board that relate to the management or investment of the funds designated under Section 51.401 who has a business, commercial, or other relationship that could reasonably be expected to diminish the person's independence of judgment in the performance of the person's responsibilities relating to the management or investment of the funds shall disclose the relationship in writing to the board. (b) The board or the board's designee shall, in the ethics policy adopted under Section 51.408, define the kinds of relationships that may create a possible conflict of interest. (c) A person who is required to file a disclosure statement under Subsection (a) shall refrain from giving advice or making decisions about matters affected by the conflict of interest unless the board, after consultation with the general counsel of the board, expressly waives this prohibition. The board shall maintain a written record of each waiver and the reasons for it. The board may delegate the authority to waive prohibitions under this subsection to one or more designated employees of the land office on a vote of a majority of the members of the board at an open meeting called and held in compliance with Chapter 551, Government Code. The board shall have any order delegating authority to waive prohibitions under this section entered into the minutes of the meeting. The board may adopt criteria for designated employees to use to determine the kinds of relationships that do not constitute a material conflict of interest for purposes of this subsection. (d) Each employee of the board who exercises significant decision-making or fiduciary authority, as determined by the board, shall file financial disclosure statements with a person designated by the board. The content of a financial disclosure statement must comply substantially with the requirements of Subchapter B, Chapter 572, Government Code. A statement must be filed not later than the 30th day after the date a person is employed in a significant decision-making or fiduciary position and annually after employment not later than April 30. The filing deadline may be postponed by the board for not more than 60 days on written request or for an additional period for good cause, as determined by the chairman of the board. The board shall maintain a financial disclosure statement for at least five years after the date of its filing. Sec. 51.410. REPORTS OF EXPENDITURES. A consultant, advisor, broker, or other person providing services to the board relating to the management and investment of the funds designated under Section 51.401 shall file with the board regularly, as determined by the board, a report that describes in detail any expenditure of more than $50 made by the person on behalf of: (1) a member of the board; (2) the commissioner; or (3) an employee of the board. Sec. 51.411. FORMS; PUBLIC INFORMATION. (a) The board shall prescribe forms for: (1) statements of possible conflicts of interest and waivers of possible conflicts of interest under Section 51.409; and (2) reports of expenditures under Section 51.410. (b) A statement, waiver, or report described by Subsection (a) is public information. (c) The board shall designate an employee of the board to act as custodian of statements, waivers, and reports described by Subsection (a) for purposes of public disclosure. Sec. 51.412. REPORTS TO LEGISLATURE. (a) Not later than September 1 of each even-numbered year, the board shall submit to the legislature a report that, specifically and in detail, assesses the direct and indirect economic impact, as anticipated by the board, of the investment of funds designated under Section 51.401 for deposit in the special fund account of the permanent school fund. The board may not disclose information under this section that is confidential under applicable state or federal law. The report must include the following information: (1) the total amount of money designated by Section 51.401 for deposit in the special fund account of the permanent school fund that the board intends to invest; (2) the rate of return the board expects to attain on the investment; (3) the amount of money the board expects to distribute to the permanent school fund after making the investments; (4) the distribution of the board's investments by county; (5) the effect of the board's investments on the level of employment, personal income, and capital investment in the state; and (6) any other information the board considers necessary to include in the report. (b) Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the board shall submit to the legislature a report that assesses the return and economic impact of the investments reported to the legislature before the preceding regular legislative session. SECTION 10. Sections 32.254 and 51.403, Natural Resources Code, are repealed. SECTION 11. 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 September 1, 2005.
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