By: Berman (Senate Sponsor - Watson) H.B. No. 1023

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 16, 2007; April 17, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Government Organization; May 8, 2007, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 8, 2007, sent to printer.)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to grants made by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 444.024, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 444.024. GRANTS. (a) The commission may make grants for any purpose consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

(b) An applicant for a grant of money from the commission shall specify in the grant application a minimum and maximum amount of money requested.

(c) [(b)] Before making a grant of money of $500 or more, the commission shall submit the grant application to a panel of commission consultants for its recommendations, including a[. The panel shall include in its recommendations its] determination of the reasonableness of the proposed amounts of funding.

(d) The commission must approve a grant of $500 or more. The commission by rule may delegate the authority to approve a grant of less than $500 to the executive director. The commission shall review a grant approved by the executive director at the commission's next regular meeting after the approval.

(e) [(c)] The commission by rule shall adopt equitable procedures for the distribution of grants to recipients who reflect the geographical, cultural, and ethnic diversity of the state's population.

SECTION 2. 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, 2007.

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