BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 615

By: Clardy

Land & Resource Management

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Recently, the City of Rusk made the Rusk State Hospital aware of the city's desire to purchase a tract of land currently owned by the State of Texas and available for the hospital's use.  Interested parties note that the land is not currently being used by the hospital for any purpose. There is an agreement for the sale of the land to the city but legislation is required to allow the processing of the transaction. H.B. 615 would allow for the sale of the land.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 615 requires the asset management division of the General Land Office (GLO), as soon as practicable and on behalf of the Health and Human Services Commission, to offer for sale to the City of Rusk the real property described by the bill. The bill exempts the sale of that property from the application of statutory provisions relating to the authority of the commissioner of the GLO to recommend to the governor real estate transactions involving real property identified as not used or substantially underused, statutory provisions establishing the manner in which the asset management division of the GLO is required to transact a sale or lease of state real property authorized by the legislature, and statutory provisions giving the School Land Board first option to purchase real property authorized for sale by the legislature or the governor. The bill requires consideration for the sale to be in an amount equal to the market value of the property as established by an independent appraisal obtained by the asset management division of the GLO and requires proceeds from the sale to be deposited to the Texas capital trust fund.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.