BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1157

By: Schwertner

Land & Resource Management

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Sam Houston State University and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) have a long history of working together in the area of criminal justice studies. The Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, the Correctional Management Institute of Texas, and training staff and classrooms for TDCJ correctional officers are all currently located on the university's campus. According to interested parties, recent growth of the university has made it difficult to provide educational space for university students and faculty while continuing to house these criminal justice programs. These same space constraints also limit the university's opportunities to grow and expand programs supporting TDCJ on the main campus. Both the university and TDCJ have been reviewing opportunities for relocating these programs off the main campus to allow the university to grow while further enhancing the programs, services, and training provided to TDCJ.

S.B. 1157 seeks to provide for the transfer of certain property from TDCJ to the university to enable the two institutions to continue their long partnership in support of criminal justice studies and training.

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

S.B. 1157 requires the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, not later than January 1, 2014, to donate and transfer certain real property to the board of regents of the Texas State University System for use by Sam Houston State University. The bill requires the Texas Board of Criminal Justice to convey the property by a deed without warranty regarding covenants of title. The bill requires the deed to include a provision that requires the university to use the property primarily for a purpose that benefits the public interest of the state and that indicates that ownership of the property will automatically revert to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice if the university fails to use the property primarily for such a purpose. The bill requires the Texas Board of Criminal Justice to retain custody of the deed after the deed is filed in the real property records of Walker County.  The bill describes in detail the real property to be transferred.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.