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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the authority of a public library to provide |
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multilingual resources for emerging communities. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 10, Local Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Chapter 338 to read as follows: |
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CHAPTER 338. LIBRARIES |
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Sec. 338.001. MULTILINGUAL RESOURCES. (a) In this |
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section: |
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(1) "Emerging community" means a group of people who |
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share a common ethnicity and have a positive population growth rate |
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in a county. |
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(2) "Population growth rate" means the rate of |
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population growth between the last two federal decennial censuses. |
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(b) A public library may use any money available to the |
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library, including state money, to provide multilingual library |
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services and resources for the three fastest growing, non-English- |
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or Spanish-speaking, emerging communities in the county in which |
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the library is located. |
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(c) A public library that provides multilingual library |
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services and resources under this section may: |
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(1) provide easily accessible online or digital |
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multilingual library services and resources; and |
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(2) implement a plan to communicate the availability |
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of multilingual library services and resources to the relevant |
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emerging communities. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |