BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1673
86R14346 JCG-D	By: Perry
	Water & Rural Affairs
	4/7/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Over the interim, local counties discussed the idea of the legislature providing grant funding of $25,000 per year for an emergency management coordinator to rural counties. The proposed grant program would only be available to counties with populations below 10,000 residents. There are currently 85 counties with populations under 10,000.

An emergency management coordinator is responsible for technical and administrative duties that help with emergency management programs for institutions such as municipalities and counties. Emergency management coordinators are required to lay out plans and provide services such as training and management to prepare for potential emergencies. These potential emergencies could come in the form of natural disasters, technological malfunctions, etc. However, with rural counties, this task usually falls on local elected officials who already have an incredibly full plate.

The goal of the grant funding program would be to aid in providing for a specific employee to manage the county's emergency management services, especially for smaller counties whose elected officials tend to have many roles.

S.B. 1673 will grant the authority to set up and issue this type of grant funding to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service. The Extension Service would manage the grant funding and administer the program to the qualifying counties.

S.B. 1673 would also allow the Extension Service to adopt rules to implement and administer the grant program, such as rules regarding the application process and eligibility standards.

S.B. 1673 also has a corresponding contingency rider request to appropriate the requested funding. This would fall under the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service. The rider will appropriate $2,125,000 in FY 2020 and $2,125,000 in FY 2021.

As proposed, S.B. 1673 amends current law relating to the creation of a grant program to assist certain counties with employing or contracting for a qualified emergency management coordinator.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in SECTION 1 (Section 88.823, Education Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter K, Chapter 88, Education Code, by adding Section 88.823, as follows:

Sec. 88.823. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) Requires the Texas AgriLife Extension Service (extension service), using available funds or private donations, to establish and administer a grant program to award grants to counties with a population of less than 10,000 to assist a county in employing or contracting with a qualified emergency management coordinator.

(b) Requires the extension service to adopt rules to implement and administer the grant program created under this section, including rules regarding applications by and the eligibility of counties described by Subsection (a) for grants under the program.

(c) Authorizes the extension service to accept gifts, grants, and donations for the grant program created under this section.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2019.