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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to accounting for, and recovery from the federal |
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government of, costs incurred by this state as a result of the |
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presence of persons who are not lawfully present in the United |
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States. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 403.0112 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 403.0112. ACCOUNTING FOR AND RECOVERY OF COSTS OF |
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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. (a) Not later than the 30th day before the |
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first day of each regular legislative session, the comptroller |
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shall issue to the speaker of the house of representatives, the |
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lieutenant governor, the governor, and the attorney general an |
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estimation of the financial costs to this state incurred during the |
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preceding two-year period that resulted from the presence in this |
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state of persons who are not lawfully present in the United States. |
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(b) The estimation must include a separate accounting for |
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the estimated costs to the state incurred in specific categories of |
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state spending as determined by the comptroller. The categories |
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must include costs of education, health care, and incarceration of |
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persons described by Subsection (a). |
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(c) Not later than the 60th day after the last day of each |
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regular legislative session, the comptroller and the attorney |
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general jointly shall make a public submission to the federal |
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government of an invoice requesting payment to the state of an |
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amount equal to the total of the costs as estimated. After the |
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submission, the comptroller and the attorney general shall use |
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every means available to collect from the federal government the |
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amount requested by the invoice, including by withholding any |
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payments of money this state owes to the federal government in a |
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total amount not to exceed the amount requested. |
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(d) The comptroller shall deposit any money received as a |
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result of the efforts described by Subsection (c) to the credit of |
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the general revenue fund. |
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(e) In the event the comptroller has not submitted the |
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estimation required by Subsection (a) by the date required by that |
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subsection, appropriations for operating the office of the |
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comptroller for the then current fiscal year are reduced by the |
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amount of $25,000 each subsequent day until the date the estimation |
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is submitted. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |