Bill Text: TX HJR169 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of funds to support the capital needs of educational programs offered by certain component institutions of the Texas State University System.

Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-03-26 - Referred to Higher Education [HJR169 Detail]

Download: Texas-2025-HJR169-Introduced.html

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89R11645 KJE-D
By: Manuel H.J.R. No. 169

A JOINT RESOLUTION
proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of
funds to support the capital needs of educational programs offered
by certain component institutions of the Texas State University
System.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Article VII, Texas Constitution, is amended by
adding Section 21 to read as follows:
Sec. 21. (a) In this section:
(1) "Available fund" means the available instruction
in manufacturing and technical workforce operations fund.
(2) "Permanent fund" means the permanent instruction
in manufacturing and technical workforce operations fund.
(b) The permanent instruction in manufacturing and
technical workforce operations fund and the available instruction
in manufacturing and technical workforce operations fund are
established as special funds in the state treasury outside the
general revenue fund to be administered as provided by this section
without further appropriation for the purpose of providing a
dedicated source of funding for capital projects and equipment
purchases related to educational programs offered by the component
institutions of the Texas State University System described by
Subsection (k) of this section.
(c) The permanent fund consists of:
(1) money appropriated, credited, transferred, or
deposited to the credit of the fund by this section or as authorized
by other law;
(2) any interest or other earnings attributable to the
investment of money in the fund; and
(3) gifts, grants, and donations made to the fund.
(d) The available fund consists of:
(1) money distributed to the fund from the permanent
fund as provided by this section;
(2) money appropriated, credited, transferred, or
deposited to the credit of the fund by this section or as authorized
by other law;
(3) any interest or other earnings attributable to the
investment of money in the fund; and
(4) gifts, grants, and donations made to the fund.
(e) The comptroller of public accounts or the board of
regents of the Texas State University System may establish accounts
in the available fund as necessary to administer the fund or pay for
projects authorized under this section.
(f) The comptroller of public accounts shall hold, manage,
and invest the permanent fund. In managing the assets of the fund,
the comptroller may acquire, exchange, sell, supervise, manage, or
retain any kind of investment that a prudent investor, exercising
reasonable care, skill, and caution, would acquire or retain in
light of the purposes, terms, distribution needs, and other
circumstances of the fund, taking into consideration the investment
of all the assets of the fund rather than a single investment. The
expenses of managing the investments of the fund shall be paid from
the fund.
(g) Money may not be appropriated or transferred from the
permanent fund or the available fund except as provided by this
section.
(h) The comptroller of public accounts shall determine the
amount available for distribution from the permanent fund to the
available fund for each fiscal year. The amount available for
distribution:
(1) must be determined in a manner intended to:
(A) provide the available fund with a stable and
predictable stream of annual distributions; and
(B) preserve over a rolling 10-year period the
purchasing power of the permanent fund; and
(2) may not exceed 5.5 percent of the fair market value
of the investment assets of the permanent fund, as determined by the
comptroller.
(i) For each state fiscal year, on request of the board of
regents of the Texas State University System, the comptroller of
public accounts shall distribute an amount that does not exceed the
amount determined under Subsection (h) of this section from the
permanent fund to the available fund for purposes of this section.
(j) The amount distributed from the permanent fund to the
available fund under Subsection (i) of this section is
appropriated, subject to Subsection (k) of this section, to the
board of regents of the Texas State University System for:
(1) acquiring land, either with or without permanent
improvements;
(2) constructing and equipping buildings or other
permanent improvements;
(3) major repair and rehabilitation of buildings and
other permanent improvements;
(4) acquiring capital equipment, including
instructional equipment, virtual reality or augmented reality
equipment, heavy industrial equipment, and vehicles;
(5) acquiring library books and materials, including
digital or electronic library books and materials;
(6) payment of the principal and interest due on the
bonds and notes issued by the respective board of regents to finance
permanent improvements as authorized by other law; and
(7) any other purpose authorized by general law.
(k) The board of regents of the Texas State University
System may use money appropriated under Subsection (j) of this
section only for the benefit of:
(1) the Lamar Institute of Technology;
(2) Lamar State College--Orange;
(3) Lamar State College--Port Arthur; or
(4) pursuant to a majority vote of the legislature, an
institution of higher education created as a part of or added to the
system on or after January 1, 2026.
(l) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
money appropriated from the available fund under this section may
not be used for the purpose of constructing, equipping, repairing,
or rehabilitating buildings or other permanent improvements that
are to be used for intercollegiate athletics or auxiliary
enterprises.
(m) An institution, other than a component institution of
the Texas State University System described by Subsection (k) of
this section, that is entitled to participate in dedicated funding
provided by Section 17 or 18 of this article may not be entitled to
participate in the funding provided by this section.
(n) This section does not impair any obligation created by
the issuance of bonds or notes in accordance with prior law,
including bonds or notes issued under Section 17 of this article,
and all outstanding bonds and notes shall be paid in full, both
principal and interest, in accordance with their terms. If this
section conflicts with any other provision of this constitution,
this section prevails.
(o) Money appropriated under Subsection (j) of this section
that is not spent during the state fiscal year for which the
appropriation is made is retained by the Texas State University
System and may be spent in a subsequent state fiscal year for a
purpose for which the appropriation was made.
(o-1) On January 1, 2026, the amount of $750,000 is
appropriated from the general revenue fund to the comptroller of
public accounts for the purpose of immediate deposit to the credit
of the permanent fund. This subsection expires December 31, 2026.
(p) For purposes of Section 22, Article VIII, of this
constitution:
(1) money in the permanent fund and the available fund
is dedicated by this constitution; and
(2) an appropriation of state tax revenues for the
purpose of depositing money to the credit of the permanent fund or
the available fund is treated as if it were an appropriation of
revenues dedicated by this constitution.
(q) If a board of regents of a higher education system,
higher education system, institution of higher education, or state
office referenced in this section is merged with another entity or
dissolved or otherwise eliminated by law, the rights, privileges,
benefits, entitlements, funding, duties, and obligations assigned
to that board of regents, system, institution, or state office by
this section pass to its successor in function.
SECTION 2. Section 17(j), Article VII, Texas Constitution,
is amended to read as follows:
(j) The state systems and institutions of higher education
designated in this section may not receive any additional funds
from the general revenue of the state, other than money
appropriated under Section 21 of this article, for acquiring land
with or without permanent improvements, for constructing or
equipping buildings or other permanent improvements, or for major
repair and rehabilitation of buildings or other permanent
improvements except that:
(1) in the case of fire or natural disaster the
legislature may appropriate from the general revenue an amount
sufficient to replace the uninsured loss of any building or other
permanent improvement; and
(2) the legislature, by two-thirds vote of each house,
may, in cases of demonstrated need, which need must be clearly
expressed in the body of the act, appropriate additional general
revenue funds for acquiring land with or without permanent
improvements, for constructing or equipping buildings or other
permanent improvements, or for major repair and rehabilitation of
buildings or other permanent improvements.
This subsection does not apply to legislative appropriations
made prior to the adoption of this amendment.
SECTION 3. Section 18(c), Article VII, Texas Constitution,
is amended to read as follows:
(c) Pursuant to a two-thirds vote of the membership of each
house of the legislature, institutions of higher education may be
created at a later date as a part of The University of Texas System
or The Texas A&M University System by general law, and, when
created, such an institution shall be entitled to participate in
the funding provided by this section for the system in which it is
created. An institution that is entitled to participate in
dedicated funding provided by [Article VII,] Section 17 or 21[,] of
this article [constitution] may not be entitled to participate in
the funding provided by this section.
SECTION 4. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025.
The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
proposition: "The constitutional amendment providing for the
creation of the permanent instruction in manufacturing and
technical workforce operations fund and the available instruction
in manufacturing and technical workforce operations fund to support
the capital needs of educational programs offered by certain
component institutions of the Texas State University System."