By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1455

(In the Senate - Filed March 12, 2015; March 19, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce; April 9, 2015, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 9, 2015, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1455 By: Watson

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to certain required reports, plans, and other documents prepared by state agencies and institutions of higher education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 32.034(e), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(e) The board of directors shall:

(1) employ a director for the center; and

(2) establish priorities for the center's activities[; and

[(3) report annually on the operation, projects, and fiscal affairs of the center to the State Board of Education and the membership of the center].

SECTION 2. Section 39.263(c), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) The commissioner shall select annually schools and districts qualified to receive successful school awards for their performance [and report the selections to the governor and the State Board of Education].

SECTION 3. Section 51.752(h), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(h) If the legislature fails to appropriate funds for the operation of the Educational Economic Policy Center, the Legislative Budget Board shall perform the duties of the committee under this subchapter. [The board shall make the annual reports required by Subsection (g) to the presiding officers of the standing committees of the senate and the house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over the public school system.]

SECTION 4. Section 61.0762(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) To [implement the college readiness and success strategic action plan adopted under Section 61.0761 and to] enhance the success of students at institutions of higher education, the board by rule shall:

(1) develop higher education bridge programs in the subject areas of mathematics, science, social science, or English language arts to increase student success by reducing the need for developmental education;

(2) develop incentive programs for institutions of higher education that implement research-based, innovative developmental education initiatives;

(3) develop a pilot program to award grants to institutions of higher education for intensive programs designed to address the needs of students at risk of dropping out of college;

(4) develop professional development programs for faculty of institutions of higher education on college readiness standards and the implications of such standards on instruction; and

(5) develop other programs as determined by the board that support the participation and success goals in "Closing the Gaps," the state's master plan for higher education.

SECTION 5. Section 88.526(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The director shall prepare an annual report on equine research funded under this subchapter. The director shall distribute the report to [the Texas Racing Commission and] members of the Texas horse racing industry. The director shall make copies of the report available to interested parties.

SECTION 6. Section 72.084, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 72.084. COURT OF APPEALS. Each month, a [A] court of appeals shall [annually] report to the office:

(1) the number of cases filed with the court during the reporting month [year];

(2) the number of cases disposed of by the court during the reporting month [year];

(3) for active cases on the docket of the court on the reporting date, the average number of days from the date of submission of the case to the court until the reporting date; and

(4) for each case disposed of during the reporting month [year] by the court, the number of days from the date of submission of the case to the court until the date of disposition of the case by the court.

SECTION 7. Section 531.02111(e), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(e) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the commission shall submit the report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the presiding officer of each standing committee of the senate and house of representatives having jurisdiction over health and human services issues, and the state auditor[, and the comptroller].

SECTION 8. Section 531.02112(c), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) The commission shall submit the report to the governor, legislature, and state auditor[, and comptroller].

SECTION 9. Section 531.055(a), Government Code, as amended by S.B. 219, Acts of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, is amended to read as follows:

(a) Each health and human services agency, the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, [the Texas Education Agency,] the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department shall enter into a joint memorandum of understanding to promote a system of local-level interagency staffing groups to coordinate services for persons needing multiagency services.

SECTION 10. Section 614.072(f), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(f) The director shall prepare an annual written report on the activity, status, and effectiveness of the fund and shall submit the report to the lieutenant governor and[,] the speaker of the house of representatives[, and the comptroller] before September 1 of each year.

SECTION 11. Section 772.009, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsection (g) and adding Subsection (g-1) to read as follows:

(g) Each state agency other than an institution of higher education shall file an annual report with the grant writing team concerning the agency's efforts to acquire [in acquiring] available discretionary federal funds during the preceding state fiscal year. The grant writing team shall establish guidelines for information included in the annual report required by this subsection [section].

(g-1) The grant writing team shall:

(1) evaluate the effectiveness of each agency in acquiring discretionary federal funds during the preceding state fiscal year;

(2) [and shall] report the findings of the evaluation to the governor and the Legislative Budget Board; and

(3) publish the report on the office of the governor's Internet website.

SECTION 12. Section 2056.002(d), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(d) A state agency shall send two copies of each plan to both the Legislative Reference Library and the state publications clearinghouse of the Texas State Library and one copy each to:

(1) the governor;

(2) the lieutenant governor;

(3) the speaker of the house of representatives;

(4) the Legislative Budget Board;

(5) the Sunset Advisory Commission;

(6) the state auditor; and

(7) [the comptroller; and

[(8)] the Department of Information Resources.

SECTION 13. Section 2056.009(b), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) The state plan shall be sent to the governor, lieutenant governor, [comptroller,] and each member of the legislature not later than the seventh working day of each regular session of the legislature.

SECTION 14. Section 2165.055, Government Code, as amended by Chapters 1153 (S.B. 211) and 1312 (S.B. 59), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:

Sec. 2165.055. REPORT ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS AND REPAIRS. Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the commission [on July 1 of each even-numbered year] shall [electronically submit a] report to the governor[, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, comptroller, and Legislative Budget Board on]:

(1) all improvements and repairs that have been made, with an itemized account of receipts and expenditures; and

(2) the condition of all property under its control, with an estimate of needed improvements and repairs.

SECTION 15. Section 2165.1061(h), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(h) In addition to the requirements of Subsection (f), [not later than July 1 of each even-numbered year,] the commission shall complete a study on the amount of each state agency's administrative office space in Travis County to identify locations that exceed the space limitations prescribed by Section 2165.104(c) and include the findings of the study in the commission's master facilities plan required under Section 2166.102. The findings shall include:

(1) the location of office space that exceeds the space limitations prescribed by Section 2165.104(c);

(2) the amount of excess space;

(3) the cost of the excess space;

(4) the expiration dates of any leases covering the excess space;

(5) the amount of exempt and nonexempt space under Section 2165.104(c); and

(6) recommendations for the most cost-effective method by which a state agency could comply with the requirements of Section 2165.104(c), including recommendations that identify the amount and cost of office space that could be reduced or eliminated, state the moving costs and expenses associated with reductions in space, and state the earliest date by which the space reductions could be feasibly achieved.

SECTION 16. Section 2166.101(d), Government Code, as amended by Chapters 1153 (S.B. 211) and 1312 (S.B. 59), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(d) The commission shall summarize its findings on the status of state-owned buildings and current information on construction costs and include the summary in the commission's master facilities plan required under Section 2166.102 [in an electronically submitted report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, comptroller, and Legislative Budget Board not later than July 1 of each even-numbered year].

SECTION 17. Section 2166.102(b), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) The commission shall maintain a six-year capital planning cycle and shall electronically submit a master facilities plan with the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, Legislative Budget Board, and comptroller not later than December 1 [before July 1] of each even-numbered year.

SECTION 18. Section 2166.103(b), Government Code, as amended by Chapters 1153 (S.B. 211) and 1312 (S.B. 59), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(b) The [Not later than July 1 of each even-numbered year,] commission shall identify [electronically submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the comptroller, and the Legislative Budget Board a report identifying] counties in which more than 50,000 square feet of usable office space is needed and make recommendations for meeting that need. The commission may recommend leasing or purchasing and renovating one or more existing buildings or constructing one or more buildings. The commission shall include the commission's findings and recommendations in the commission's master facilities plan required under Section 2166.102.

SECTION 19. Section 2205.041, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 2205.041. AIRCRAFT USE FORM. (a) The Texas Department of Transportation [Legislative Budget Board, in cooperation with the board,] shall prescribe:

(1) an annual aircraft use form for gathering information about the use of state-operated aircraft, including the extent to which and the methods by which the goal provided by Section 2205.031(b) is being met; and

(2) procedures for each state agency that operates an aircraft for sending the form to the department [board and the Legislative Budget Board].

(b) The aircraft use form must request the following information about each aircraft a state agency operates:

(1) a description of the aircraft;

(2) the date purchased or leased and the purchase price or lease cost;

(3) the number of annual hours flown;

(4) the annual operating costs;

(5) the number of flights and the destinations;

(6) the travel logs prepared under Section 2205.039; and

(7) any other information the Texas Department of Transportation [Legislative Budget Board] requires to document the proper or cost-efficient use of the aircraft.

SECTION 20. The following provisions are repealed:

(1) Section 51.752(g), Education Code;

(2) Section 61.0761, Education Code;

(3) Section 109.75(c), Education Code;

(4) Section 761.005, Government Code;

(5) Section 2166.409, Government Code;

(6) Section 372.004, Health and Safety Code;

(7) Section 101.0252, Human Resources Code; and

(8) Section 162.501(c), Tax Code.

SECTION 21. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.

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