AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Because the federal government has failed to secure the border and provide for a system of legal immigration, Texas taxpayers are required to bear the costs of illegal immigration, chiefly in border security, education, health care, and incarceration. The challenges were particularly pronounced in the summer of 2014, when tens of thousands of unaccompanied children fled Central America to the Texas border.

 

C.S.S.B. 62 requires the comptroller of public accounts of the state of Texas to issue a comprehensive report with the total amount of money the state spent in the previous two years as a result of "the presence in this state of persons who are not lawfully present in the United States."

 

C.S.S.B. 62 amends current law relating to accounting for costs incurred by this state as a result of the presence of persons who are not lawfully present in the United States.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, by adding Section 403.0112, as follows:

 

Sec. 403.0112. ACCOUNTING FOR COSTS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. (a) Requires the comptroller of public accounts of the State of Texas (comptroller) to issue to the speaker of the house of representatives, the lieutenant governor, the governor, and the attorney general an estimation of the financial costs to this state incurred during the preceding two-year period that resulted from the presence in this state of persons who are not lawfully present in the United States not later than the 30th day before the first day of each regular legislative session.

 

(b) Requires that the estimation include a separate accounting for the estimated costs to the state incurred in specific categories of state spending as determined by the comptroller.  Requires that the categories include costs of education of, health care for, and incarceration of persons described by Subsection (a) and costs of border security and law enforcement attributable to those persons.

 

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2015.