Bill Text: TX HB2789 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of a study group to study state unfunded mandates that affect counties.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-30 - Referred to State Affairs [HB2789 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB2789-Introduced.html
| 85R9279 TJB-D | ||
| By: White | H.B. No. 2789 | |
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| relating to the creation of a study group to study state unfunded | ||
| mandates that affect counties. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. STATE UNFUNDED MANDATE STUDY GROUP. (a) In this | ||
| Act, "study group" means the state unfunded mandate study group | ||
| created under this Act. | ||
| (b) The state unfunded mandate study group is created and | ||
| consists of nine members appointed as follows: | ||
| (1) three members appointed by the governor; | ||
| (2) three members appointed by the lieutenant | ||
| governor; and | ||
| (3) three members appointed by the speaker of the | ||
| house of representatives. | ||
| (c) In making the appointments under Subsection (b), the | ||
| governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of | ||
| representatives must each select three appointees as follows: | ||
| (1) one member who resides in a rural county; | ||
| (2) one member who resides in an urban county; and | ||
| (3) one member who resides in a suburban county. | ||
| (d) The governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the | ||
| house of representatives shall appoint the members of the study | ||
| group not later than October 1, 2017. | ||
| (e) The speaker of the house of representatives shall select | ||
| one of the members appointed by the speaker to be the initial | ||
| presiding officer of the study group. | ||
| (f) At the first meeting of the study group, the members of | ||
| the study group shall select one member of the study group as the | ||
| presiding officer of the study group. | ||
| (g) The study group shall meet at the call of the presiding | ||
| officer. | ||
| (h) A member of the study group serves without compensation | ||
| but is entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses | ||
| incurred in performing study group duties. | ||
| (i) The study group shall conduct a study of the mandates | ||
| imposed by state statutes or by rules adopted by state agencies that | ||
| require counties to establish, expand, or modify activities in a | ||
| way that requires the expenditure of revenue by the counties that | ||
| would not have been required in the absence of the mandates and for | ||
| which the state provides insufficient or no money. In conducting | ||
| the study, the study group must: | ||
| (1) define "state unfunded mandate"; | ||
| (2) identify each state unfunded mandate; | ||
| (3) determine the financial cost to counties of state | ||
| unfunded mandates; | ||
| (4) determine which state unfunded mandates should be | ||
| repealed or limited; and | ||
| (5) determine how to prevent the creation of new state | ||
| unfunded mandates that apply to counties. | ||
| (j) On request by the study group, a state agency shall | ||
| provide assistance to the study group, including necessary support | ||
| staff and facilities to hold meetings. | ||
| (k) Not later than August 31, 2018, the study group shall | ||
| submit a written report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, | ||
| the speaker of the house of representatives, and each member of the | ||
| legislature with its findings and recommendations. | ||
| (l) The study group is abolished and this Act expires | ||
| September 1, 2019. | ||
| SECTION 2. 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, 2017. | ||
