Bill Text: TX HB255 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to efforts to encourage full participation in the 2020 federal decennial census by the residents of this state, including the establishment of the Complete Count Commission.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 21-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-19 - Referred to State Affairs [HB255 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB255-Introduced.html
| 86R2610 MTB-D | ||
| By: Blanco | H.B. No. 255 | |
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| relating to efforts to encourage full participation in the 2020 | ||
| federal decennial census by the residents of this state, including | ||
| the establishment of the Complete Count Commission. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the Every | ||
| Texan Counts Act. | ||
| SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: | ||
| (1) "Commission" means the Complete Count Commission | ||
| created by this Act. | ||
| (2) "Local government" means a municipality or county. | ||
| (3) "Member" means a member of the commission. | ||
| (4) "State agency" means a board, commission, | ||
| department, office, or other agency that is in the executive branch | ||
| of state government and was created by the constitution or a statute | ||
| of this state. | ||
| SECTION 3. COMMISSION. (a) The commission is composed of | ||
| the following members: | ||
| (1) seven persons appointed by the governor; | ||
| (2) one person appointed by the governor from a list | ||
| submitted by the speaker of the house of representatives; | ||
| (3) one person appointed by the lieutenant governor; | ||
| (4) one person from each of the 10 most populous | ||
| counties in this state, nominated by the county's respective county | ||
| judge; | ||
| (5) seven members from business, faith, and nonprofit | ||
| community-based organizations, appointed by the governor, to | ||
| represent the demographic, economic, and linguistic diversity of | ||
| this state; | ||
| (6) five members appointed by the secretary of state | ||
| to represent traditionally hard-to-count populations, three of | ||
| whom must be from counties located on the Texas-Mexico border; | ||
| (7) if a local government has created a local complete | ||
| count commission, members designated by the local commission; and | ||
| (8) the secretary of state, who serves as the chair of | ||
| the commission. | ||
| (b) A member serves at the pleasure of the member's | ||
| appointing official and vacancies shall be filled in the same | ||
| manner as the initial appointment. The commission shall meet not | ||
| later than the 30th day after the date initial appointments are made | ||
| under Subsections (a)(1)-(6) of this section. The commission shall | ||
| meet regularly as necessary at the call of the chair. | ||
| (c) A member may not receive compensation for service on the | ||
| commission, but is entitled to reimbursement for actual and | ||
| necessary expenses incurred in performing commission duties. The | ||
| commission may accept gifts, grants, and donations to pay for those | ||
| expenses. | ||
| (d) The commission may employ a director and assistant | ||
| director on a two-thirds vote of the full membership of the | ||
| commission. The director and assistant director may be compensated | ||
| from money appropriated or available for that purpose. | ||
| SECTION 4. CENSUS OUTREACH STRATEGY. (a) The commission | ||
| shall develop, recommend, and assist in the administration of a | ||
| census outreach strategy to encourage full participation in the | ||
| 2020 federal decennial census of population required by 13 U.S.C. | ||
| Section 141. | ||
| (b) The census outreach strategy must include: | ||
| (1) state agency initiatives to encourage | ||
| participation in the 2020 federal decennial census; | ||
| (2) the establishment and support of school-based | ||
| outreach programs; | ||
| (3) partnerships with nonprofit community-based | ||
| organizations; and | ||
| (4) a multilingual, multimedia campaign designed to | ||
| ensure an accurate and complete count of this state's population. | ||
| (c) To assist in carrying out its duties, the commission may | ||
| create and appoint subcommittees as appropriate and shall solicit | ||
| participation from relevant experts and practitioners involved in | ||
| census issues. | ||
| (d) The secretary of state shall: | ||
| (1) coordinate the census outreach strategy; | ||
| (2) provide administrative support to the commission; | ||
| and | ||
| (3) coordinate with all state agencies and | ||
| constitutional officers, as well as local governments, to identify | ||
| effective methods of outreach to residents of this state and to | ||
| provide resources to ensure the outreach program is successful and | ||
| that all residents of this state are counted. | ||
| (e) A state agency shall inform the secretary of state of | ||
| the agency's designated census coordinator and cooperate with and | ||
| provide support to the commission. Other state governmental | ||
| entities and local governments shall cooperate and provide all | ||
| reasonable assistance to the commission. | ||
| (f) Not later than December 31, 2019, the commission shall | ||
| submit a written report to the governor, lieutenant governor, | ||
| speaker of the house of representatives, and members of the | ||
| legislature with its recommendations and findings, including a | ||
| recommended outreach strategy for implementation for the 2020 | ||
| federal decennial census. | ||
| SECTION 5. GRANT PROGRAM. (a) Using available funds or | ||
| private donations, the governor shall establish and administer a | ||
| grant program to award grants to local governments for their | ||
| outreach efforts to encourage full participation in the 2020 | ||
| federal decennial census of population required by 13 U.S.C. | ||
| Section 141. | ||
| (b) The governor shall adopt rules to implement and | ||
| administer the grant program created under this section, including | ||
| rules regarding applications by and eligibility of local | ||
| governments for grants under the program. Eligibility rules must | ||
| prioritize a local government that has: | ||
| (1) established census outreach efforts; and | ||
| (2) census tracts with traditionally hard-to-count | ||
| populations within its boundaries. | ||
| (c) The governor may accept gifts, grants, and donations for | ||
| the grant program created under this section. | ||
| SECTION 6. INITIAL APPOINTMENTS. As soon as practicable | ||
| after the effective date of this Act, the appointing officials | ||
| shall appoint members to the commission as provided by Section 3(a) | ||
| of this Act. | ||
| SECTION 7. ABOLISHMENT AND EXPIRATION. The commission and | ||
| the grant program created under this Act are abolished and this Act | ||
| expires on September 1, 2021. | ||
| SECTION 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect | ||
| immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members | ||
| elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas | ||
| Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for | ||
| immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
