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BILL ANALYSIS |
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By: Bonnen |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Regional planning commissions were originally established in part as a way to study and better plan for the development of regions throughout Texas. However, during the past couple of decades, regional planning commissions have been transformed into a convenient means through which federal and state funds are channeled. Some members of some regional planning commissions, generally governmental units that are comprised of smaller populations, have complained their areas have not received an appropriate share of attention or resources from the regional planning commissions.
C.S.H.B. 3552 would require the state auditor to conduct an audit of certain regional planning commissions and forward the report to the commissioners court of certain counties, and to certain other governing bodies upon request.
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
C.S.H.B. 3552 requires, before June 1, 2010, the state auditor to audit a regional planning commission created under Chapter 391, Local Government Code, that includes a county with a population of 3.3 million or more, according to the most recent federal decennial census. The bill requires the cost of the audit to be paid for by the audited regional planning commission.
C.S.H.B. 3552 requires, on or before June 1, 2010, the state auditor to submit a report of such a required audit to the commissioners court of a county with a population of 240,000 or more, according to the most recent federal decennial census, that borders the Gulf of Mexico and is a member of such an audited regional planning commission; and to the governing body of any other political subdivision that is a member of such an audited regional planning commission, if the governing body requests a report from the state auditor. The bill provides that these new provisions expire January 1, 2011.
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
C.S.H.B. 3552 removes the changes in law proposed in the original and replaces them with new language that would require the state auditor to audit certain regional planning commissions, to then submit a report to certain commissioners courts, and to submit a report to certain other governing bodies upon request.