87R16349 CXP-F
 
  By: Thompson of Harris, Darby, Hernandez, H.B. No. 2305
      Guillen, Kuempel
 
  Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2305:
 
  By:  Hernandez C.S.H.B. No. 2305
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the Texas Real Estate Research Center, the Real Estate
  Research Advisory Committee, and the Texas Real Estate Commission;
  increasing a fee.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  The heading to Subchapter C, Chapter 86,
  Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER C. TEXAS REAL ESTATE RESEARCH CENTER
         SECTION 2.  Section 86.51, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 86.51.  TEXAS REAL ESTATE RESEARCH CENTER. The Texas
  Real Estate Research Center [There] is established at Texas A&M
  University [a Real Estate Research Center, hereinafter referred to
  as the center]. The operating budget, staffing, and activities of
  the center shall be approved by the board of regents of The Texas
  A&M University System.
         SECTION 3.  Section 86.52, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (c), (d), (e), (f), (h), (i), (j), (k), and (l)
  and adding Subsection (m) to read as follows:
         (c)  Members [Except for the initial appointees, members] of
  the advisory committee hold office for staggered terms of six
  years, with the terms of three members expiring on January 31 of
  each odd-numbered year. [In making the initial appointments, the
  governor shall designate three members, including two
  representatives of the real estate industry and one representative
  of the general public, for terms expiring in 1973, three for terms
  expiring in 1975, and three for terms expiring in 1977.] Any
  vacancy shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired portion of
  the term. Each member shall serve until the member's [his]
  successor is qualified.
         (d)  The presiding officer [chairman] of the Texas Real
  Estate Commission, or a member of the commission designated by the
  presiding officer [him], shall serve as an ex officio, nonvoting
  member of the advisory committee.
         (e)  The advisory committee shall elect a presiding officer
  and an assistant presiding officer from the committee's [its]
  membership, and each officer shall serve for a term of one year.
         (f)  [The first meeting of the advisory committee shall be
  called by the president of Texas A & M University or his designated
  representative.] The advisory committee shall meet not less than
  semiannually, and in addition on call of the committee's presiding
  officer [its chairman], or on petition of any six of the committee's
  [its] members, or on call of the president of Texas A&M [A & M]
  University or the president's [his] designated representative.
         (h)  The president of Texas A&M [A & M] University or the
  president's [his] designated representative shall submit to the
  advisory committee in advance of each fiscal year a proposed budget
  for expenditures of all funds provided for the center in a form that
  is related to the proposed schedule of activities for the review and
  approval of the advisory committee. The proposed budget approved
  by the advisory committee shall be forwarded with the comments of
  the committee to the board of directors of The Texas A&M [A & M]
  University System prior to its action on the proposed budget, and
  the board of directors of The Texas A&M [A & M] University System
  shall not authorize any expenditure that has not had the prior
  approval of the advisory committee.
         (i)  The president of Texas A&M [A & M] University or the
  president's [his] designated representative shall submit to the
  advisory committee for its review and approval a research agenda at
  the beginning of each fiscal year and shall continuously inform the
  advisory committee of changes in its substance and scheduling.
         (j)  Each member of the advisory committee [board] is
  entitled to a per diem as provided in the center's budget [set by
  legislative appropriation] for each day that the member engages in
  the business of the committee [board]. A member may not receive any
  compensation for travel expenses, including expenses for meals and
  lodging, other than transportation expenses. A member is entitled
  to compensation for transportation expenses as provided in
  [prescribed by] the center's budget [General Appropriations Act].
         (k)  Except as provided by Subsection (l), the [The] advisory
  committee is subject to Chapter 551, Government Code, Chapter 2001,
  Government Code, and the provisions of Chapter 572, Government
  Code.
         (l)  The advisory committee may conduct a meeting by
  conference call or virtually through a third-party Internet
  application as long as members of the general public are able to
  participate in the meeting, and any discussions during the meeting,
  if the meeting is not permitted to be conducted as a closed meeting
  under Chapter 551, Government Code.
         (m)  The financial transactions of the center are subject to
  audit by the state auditor in accordance with Chapter 321,
  Government Code.
         SECTION 4.  Section 1101.054, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1101.054.  OFFICIAL OATH. Not later than the 15th
  calendar day after the date of appointment, each appointee must
  take the constitutional oath of office.
         SECTION 5.  Section 1101.154(a), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The fee for the issuance or renewal of a:
               (1)  broker license is the amount of the fee set under
  Section 1101.152 and an additional $70 fee for each year of the term
  for which the license is issued or renewed;
               (2)  sales agent license is the amount of the fee set
  under Section 1101.152 and an additional $20 fee for each year of
  the term for which the license is issued or renewed; and
               (3)  certificate of registration is the amount of the
  fee set under Section 1101.152 and an additional $20 fee for each
  year of the term for which the certificate is issued or renewed.
         SECTION 6.  Section 1101.154(a), Occupations Code, as
  amended by this Act, applies only to the issuance or renewal of a
  license or certificate of registration under Chapter 1101,
  Occupations Code, on or after the effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.