By: Perry, Watson  S.B. No. 503
         (In the Senate - Filed February 9, 2015; February 11, 2015,
  read first time and referred to Committee on Veteran Affairs and
  Military Installations; April 8, 2015, reported adversely, with
  favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 6,
  Nays 0; April 8, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 503 By:  Campbell
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to financial assistance to local governmental entities
  affected by the realignment of defense jobs or facilities.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 436.1531(a), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  The office may provide a loan of financial assistance to
  a defense community for an economic development project that
  minimizes the negative effects of a defense base reduction on the
  defense community as a result of a United States Department of
  Defense base realignment process that occurs during 1995 [2005] or
  later.  The loan shall be made from the Texas military value
  revolving loan account established under Section 436.156.
         SECTION 2.  Section 436.1532(a), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  The office may provide a loan of financial assistance to
  a defense community for an infrastructure project to accommodate
  new or expanded military missions assigned to a military base or
  defense facility located in, near, or adjacent to the defense
  community as a result of a United States Department of Defense base
  realignment process that occurs during 1995 [2005] or later.  The
  loan shall be made from the Texas military value revolving loan
  account established under Section 436.156.
         SECTION 3.  Sections 436.202(a) and (b), Government Code,
  are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  From money appropriated for this purpose, the
  commission may make a grant to an eligible local governmental
  entity to:
               (1)  enable the entity to match money or meet an
  investment requirement necessary to receive federal assistance
  provided to the local governmental entity for responding to or
  recovering from an event described by Section 436.201(b);
               (2)  match the entity's contribution for a purpose
  described by Section 436.203 at a closed or realigned defense
  facility; [or]
               (3)  construct infrastructure and other projects
  necessary to accommodate a new or expanded military mission at a
  military base or to reduce the impact of an action of the United
  States Department of Defense that will negatively impact a defense
  facility located in or near the entity; or
               (4)  construct infrastructure and other projects
  necessary to prevent the reduction or closing of a defense
  facility.
         (b)  The commission may not make a grant for an amount less
  than $50,000 or an amount more than the lesser of:
               (1)  50 percent of the amount of matching money or
  investment that the local governmental entity is required to
  provide, subject to Subsection (c);
               (2)  50 percent of the local governmental entity's
  investment for purposes described by Section 436.203 if federal
  assistance is unavailable; or
               (3)  $5 [$2] million.
         SECTION 4.  Section 436.203(c), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  An eligible local governmental entity described by
  Section 436.201(a)(3), [or] (4), or (5) may use the proceeds of the
  grant to purchase or lease equipment to train defense workers whose
  jobs have been threatened or lost because of an event described by
  Section 436.201(b) or to train workers to support military
  installations or defense facilities.
         SECTION 5.  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, 2015.
 
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