| 1 | 1 | | 81R1521 KSD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Miller of Erath H.B. No. 377 |
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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 the creation and funding of the Texas Rural Job |
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| 8 | 8 | | Development Fund. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 481.078, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subsection (k) to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (k) The fund may be used to make one or more grants to the |
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| 13 | 13 | | Office of Rural Community Affairs to implement the office's powers |
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| 14 | 14 | | and duties relating to rural job development. Subsections (e-1), |
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| 15 | 15 | | (f), (g), (h), (i), and (j) do not apply to a grant under this |
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| 16 | 16 | | subsection. |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 487, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 18 | 18 | | adding Subchapter R to read as follows: |
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| 19 | 19 | | SUBCHAPTER R. TEXAS RURAL JOB DEVELOPMENT FUND |
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| 20 | 20 | | Sec. 487.801. PURPOSE. The purpose of this subchapter is |
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| 21 | 21 | | to: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) promote rural employment opportunities, including |
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| 23 | 23 | | economic development projects that will stimulate job creation or |
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| 24 | 24 | | assist in job retention; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) foster regional collaboration for the development |
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| 26 | 26 | | of rural employment opportunities; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (3) enhance leadership capacity and civic |
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| 28 | 28 | | participation in rural Texas in an inclusive manner; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (4) facilitate wealth creation and retention in rural |
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| 30 | 30 | | communities to decrease long-term dependency on state and federal |
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| 31 | 31 | | resources; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) assist in the development of a highly skilled and |
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| 33 | 33 | | productive workforce in rural communities; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (6) assist the workers in rural areas of this state in |
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| 35 | 35 | | obtaining education, skills training, and labor market information |
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| 36 | 36 | | to enhance their employability, earnings, and standard of living; |
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| 37 | 37 | | and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (7) assist rural communities in this state by |
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| 39 | 39 | | providing economic incentive programs for job creation, |
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| 40 | 40 | | attraction, and expansion. |
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| 41 | 41 | | Sec. 487.802. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (1) "Development fund" means the Texas Rural Job |
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| 43 | 43 | | Development Fund. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) "Rural community" means a rural area as defined by |
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| 45 | 45 | | the office. |
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| 46 | 46 | | Sec. 487.803. TEXAS RURAL JOB DEVELOPMENT FUND. (a) The |
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| 47 | 47 | | Texas Rural Job Development Fund is an account in the general |
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| 48 | 48 | | revenue fund. The account is composed of: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (1) legislative appropriations; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (2) money received from the Texas Enterprise Fund |
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| 51 | 51 | | under Section 481.078; |
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| 52 | 52 | | (3) gifts, grants, donations, and matching funds |
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| 53 | 53 | | received under Subsection (b); and |
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| 54 | 54 | | (4) other money required by law to be deposited in the |
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| 55 | 55 | | account. |
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| 56 | 56 | | (b) The office may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and |
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| 57 | 57 | | donations of money from the federal government, local governments, |
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| 58 | 58 | | private corporations, or other persons to be used for the purposes |
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| 59 | 59 | | of this subchapter. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (c) Income from money in the account shall be credited to |
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| 61 | 61 | | the account. |
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| 62 | 62 | | (d) Money in the development fund may be used only for the |
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| 63 | 63 | | purposes of this subchapter. |
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| 64 | 64 | | Sec. 487.804. INCENTIVES. The office shall offer |
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| 65 | 65 | | incentives in the form of grants and loans to entrepreneurs and |
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| 66 | 66 | | businesses creating or retaining jobs in a rural community. |
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| 67 | 67 | | SECTION 3. The executive committee of the Office of Rural |
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| 68 | 68 | | Community Affairs shall adopt rules for the program under |
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| 69 | 69 | | Subchapter R, Chapter 487, Government Code, as added by this Act, |
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| 70 | 70 | | not later than March 1, 2010. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 4. Implementation of the program under Subchapter |
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| 72 | 72 | | R, Chapter 487, Government Code, as added by this Act, is contingent |
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| 73 | 73 | | on appropriation of funding by the legislature. |
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| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 75 | 75 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 76 | 76 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 77 | 77 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 78 | 78 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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