BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1251

By: West

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties call for increased efforts to combat the growing problem of homelessness in Texas. S.B. 1251 seeks to address this issue by creating the ending homelessness fund, to which contributions may be made when registering or renewing a motor vehicle registration.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1251 amends the Transportation Code to create the ending homelessness fund as a trust fund outside the state treasury to be held by the comptroller of public accounts and administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) as trustee and to authorize a person to contribute any amount to the fund when registering or renewing the registration of a motor vehicle. The bill establishes that the fund is composed of money so deposited to the credit of the fund and requires money in the fund to be used to provide grants to counties and municipalities to combat homelessness. The bill requires the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to provide, in a conspicuous manner, an opportunity to contribute to the fund in any registration renewal system used by TxDMV and authorizes a county
assessor-collector, if a person makes a contribution to the fund and does not pay the full amount of a registration fee, to credit all or a portion of the contribution to the person's registration fee. The bill requires a county assessor-collector to send any contribution made under the bill's provisions to the comptroller for deposit to the fund before the 31st day after the date the contribution is made. The bill requires TxDMV to consult with the TDHCA in performing TxDMV's duties under the bill's provisions. The bill requires the TDHCA to adopt rules governing application for grants from the fund and the issuance of those grants.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.