BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1443
86R11825 SRA-F	By: Campbell
	Veteran Affairs & Border Security
	3/18/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The governor's Texas Military Preparedness Commission (TMPC) oversees the Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (DEAAG) program. DEAAG was created in 1997 and is an infrastructure grant program designed to assist defense communities that have been positively or negatively impacted by a change in defense contracts or an announced change.

Funding for negatively affected communities can be used for the purchase of Department of Defense property, new construction, or rehabilitation of facilities in support of job creating projects and opportunities. Funding for positively affected communities can be used for infrastructure projects directly supporting the new military mission. Additionally, funds can be awarded to Public Junior Colleges or Texas State Technical College System for the purchase or leasing of capital equipment for the purpose of (re)training displaced defense workers. Grants awarded may range from $50,000 to $5 million per project.

Key Provision:

This Act extends TMPC's mission to 2023 and allows the TMPC to have a broader scope when establishing criteria by which to award DEAAG funds. Last session, $20 million was appropriated for DEAAG.

As proposed, S.B. 1443 amends current law relating to the Texas Military Preparedness Commission.

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 Section 436.105(d), Government Code, to provide that the Closure Task Force is abolished and this section expires September 1, 2023, rather than September 1, 2021.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 436.205(b), Government Code, as follows:

(b) Requires the defense economic adjustment assistance panel established by the Texas Military Preparedness Commission (TMPC) to evaluate each grant application and assign the applicant a score based on the significance of the adverse or positive effect within the local government entity, and any other criteria established by TMPC. Deletes existing text relating to other specified criteria for the grant application score.

SECTION 3. Repealer: Section 436.207 (Defense Community With More Than One Military Base), Government Code.

SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2019.