| 1 | 1 | | 81R4363 CAS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 1017 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to grants to certain school districts and countywide |
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| 8 | 8 | | public school transportation systems to be used to pay costs in |
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| 9 | 9 | | purchasing school buses capable of using natural gas or propane as |
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| 10 | 10 | | fuel. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 34, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 13 | 13 | | Section 34.0051 to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 34.0051. GRANT PROGRAM FOR PURCHASE OF BUSES USING |
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| 15 | 15 | | NATURAL GAS OR PROPANE FUEL. (a) The commissioner by rule shall |
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| 16 | 16 | | establish a program under which the commissioner may award to |
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| 17 | 17 | | school districts and to countywide public school transportation |
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| 18 | 18 | | systems grants to be used to pay costs in purchasing school buses |
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| 19 | 19 | | capable of using natural gas or propane as fuel to replace school |
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| 20 | 20 | | buses that use diesel fuel. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) The program established under Subsection (a) must |
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| 22 | 22 | | provide for: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) awarding a grant only to a school district or |
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| 24 | 24 | | countywide transportation system located in whole or in part in an |
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| 25 | 25 | | area designated as a nonattainment area under Section 107(d) of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. Section 7407(d)); |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) ensuring that grant money is used by a district or |
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| 28 | 28 | | countywide transportation system only in purchasing a school bus |
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| 29 | 29 | | capable of using natural gas or propane as fuel to replace a school |
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| 30 | 30 | | bus that uses diesel fuel; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) limiting the amount of the grant to an amount that |
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| 32 | 32 | | is the lesser of: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (A) $40,000; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (B) the difference, as determined under |
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| 35 | 35 | | commissioner rule, between the average cost of a school bus capable |
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| 36 | 36 | | of using natural gas or propane as fuel and a substantially similar |
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| 37 | 37 | | school bus that uses diesel fuel. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) Subsection (b)(2) includes the purchase of a school bus |
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| 39 | 39 | | in the manner provided by Section 34.005 or 45.001(a)(1)(D). |
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| 40 | 40 | | (d) A grant awarded under this section is in addition to a |
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| 41 | 41 | | transportation allotment under Section 42.155. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (e) A grant awarded under this section shall be paid for |
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| 43 | 43 | | with funds appropriated to the agency that may be used for that |
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| 44 | 44 | | purpose. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 46 | 46 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 47 | 47 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 48 | 48 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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