79R9418 JSA-F

By:  Ogden                                                        S.B. No. 1614


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to statutory authority for certain governmental entities to take certain actions to permit the legislature to reduce appropriations to those agencies. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any statute to the contrary, the legislature, in its discretion, may determine the amount of each appropriation of state funds. The amounts required by statute for entities that receive state funds under Article VII of the General Appropriations Act, 79th Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, may be reduced or eliminated in order to achieve a balanced budget. (b) This section expires September 1, 2007. SECTION 2. (a) This section applies to the following state agencies: (1) the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs; (2) the Texas Lottery Commission; (3) the Office of Rural Community Affairs; (4) the Texas Department of Transportation; and (5) the Texas Workforce Commission. (b) Notwithstanding any other statute of this state, each state agency to which this section applies is authorized to reduce expenditures by: (1) consolidating any reports or publications the agency is required to make and filing or delivering any of those reports or publications exclusively by electronic means; (2) extending the effective period of any license, permit, or registration the agency grants or administers; (3) entering into a contract with another governmental entity or with a private vendor to carry out any of the agency's duties; (4) providing that any communication between the agency and another person and any document required to be delivered to or by the agency, including any application, notice, billing statement, receipt, or certificate, may be made or delivered by electronic mail or through the Internet; and (5) adopting and collecting fees or charges to cover any costs the agency incurs in performing its lawful functions. SECTION 3. Chapter 303, Labor Code, is amended by adding Section 303.007 to read as follows: Sec. 303.007. PAYMENT OF PORTION OF TRAINING COSTS BY EMPLOYER. The commission may require an employer whose employees participate in a training program under this chapter to pay a portion, not to exceed 50 percent, of the costs of the training program in cash or cash equivalents. The public community or technical college or the Texas Engineering Extension Service, as appropriate, shall reimburse the employer for the amount of the costs of the training program paid by the employer in excess of the portion the commission requires the employer to pay under this section. SECTION 4. Section 303.007, Labor Code, as added by this Act, applies only to training provided under Chapter 303, Labor Code, under a contract between the Texas Workforce Commission and a public community or technical college or the Texas Engineering Extension Service entered into on or after the effective date of this Act. SECTION 5. 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.