By: Villarreal H.B. No. 3503
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the creation of the Texas Fiscal Stability Commission.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  DEFINITION.  In this Act, "commission" means the
  Texas Fiscal Stability Commission.
         SECTION 2.  MISSION OF TEXAS FISCAL STABILITY COMMISSION.
         (a)  The mission of the Texas Fiscal Stability Commission is
  to provide the state legislature recommendations for improving the
  state's ability to provide a stable, long-term source of revenue
  for educating the people of Texas from pre-kindergarten through
  higher education while maintaining low state and local tax rates
  relative to other states and ensuring tax efforts of households and
  business sectors are equitably shared.
         (b)  The commission shall develop a comprehensive plan that
  includes tax and budget recommendations to eliminate the state's
  structural revenue shortfall.
         SECTION 3.  ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF TEXAS FISCAL
  STABILITY COMMISSION.  (a)  The Texas Fiscal Stability Commission
  is composed of 19 members as follows:
               (1)  the chair of the House Appropriations Committee
  and House Ways and Means Commission;
               (2)  the chair and vice-chair of the Senate Committee
  on Finance;
               (3)  two state representatives and three public members
  appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
               (4)  two state senators and three public members
  appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; and
               (5)  five public members appointed by the Governor;
         (b)  A person specified by Subsection (a) of this section to
  appoint a commission member shall make the appointment not later
  than November 1, 2011.
         (c)  The Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House of
  Representatives shall select one member of the commission to serve
  as the chair and another member to serve as the vice chair.
         (d)  The commission shall meet at the call of the chair.
         (e)  The commission shall hold public hearings at locations
  throughout the state to hear testimony on issues related to its
  mission.
         (f)  A commission member may not receive compensation for
  serving on the commission but is entitled to reimbursement of
  travel expenses incurred by the member while conducting the
  business of the commission as provided by the General
  Appropriations Act.
         (g)  The commission shall submit the state fiscal stability
  plan under Section 2 of this Act to the Senate Finance Commission,
  the House Appropriations Commission, the House Ways and Means
  Committee, and the Legislative Budget Board not later than June 1,
  2012.
         (h)  The commission is abolished September 1, 2013.
         SECTION 4.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  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, 2011.