| 1 | 1 | | By: Gonzales H.B. No. 4652 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to issues affecting the region adjacent and within 100 |
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| 7 | 7 | | kilometers of the international border with Mexico. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. (a) Subtitle E, Title 4, Government Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Chapter 471 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | CHAPTER 471. BUREAU FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE BORDER REGION |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 471.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Border region" means the portion of this state |
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| 14 | 14 | | located within 100 kilometers of this state's international border. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) "Bureau" means the Bureau for Economic Development |
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| 16 | 16 | | of the Border Region. |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 471.002. BUREAU; MEMBERS. (a) The bureau is an agency |
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| 18 | 18 | | of the state. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The bureau consists of nine members appointed as |
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| 20 | 20 | | follows: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) two members appointed by the governor; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) two members appointed by the lieutenant governor; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) two members appointed by the speaker of the house; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) one member appointed by the secretary of state; |
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| 25 | 25 | | and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (5) as ex officio members, the chairperson of: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) the House Committee on Border and |
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| 28 | 28 | | Intergovernmental Affairs; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) the senate committee to which border affairs |
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| 30 | 30 | | are referred. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (c) Bureau members shall be selected to provide the bureau |
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| 32 | 32 | | technical expertise in financial planning and development, |
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| 33 | 33 | | construction, engineering, trade, and other appropriate criteria. |
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| 34 | 34 | | Sec. 471.003. TERMS. Appointed members serve staggered |
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| 35 | 35 | | terms of two years, with as near as possible to one-half of the |
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| 36 | 36 | | members' terms expiring February 1 of each year. |
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| 37 | 37 | | Sec. 471.004. MEETINGS; OFFICERS; OFFICE. (a) The bureau |
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| 38 | 38 | | shall hold at least one regular meeting in the first quarter of each |
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| 39 | 39 | | calendar year. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (b) At its first meeting in each odd-numbered year, the |
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| 41 | 41 | | bureau shall select from its membership a chairperson. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (c) The bureau shall meet subject to the call of the |
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| 43 | 43 | | chairperson. |
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| 44 | 44 | | Sec. 471.005. EXPENSES. A member of the bureau is entitled |
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| 45 | 45 | | to reimbursement for expenses incurred for service on the bureau, |
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| 46 | 46 | | as provided by the General Appropriations Act. A member may not |
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| 47 | 47 | | receive any compensation for that service. |
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| 48 | 48 | | Sec. 471.006. SUNSET PROVISION. The bureau is subject to |
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| 49 | 49 | | Chapter 325 (Texas Sunset Act). Unless continued in existence as |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided by that chapter, the bureau is abolished and this chapter |
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| 51 | 51 | | expires September 1, 2021. |
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| 52 | 52 | | Sec. 471.007. DUTIES. The bureau shall: |
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| 53 | 53 | | (1) draft and submit reports to advise the legislature |
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| 54 | 54 | | about economic development opportunities in the border region; |
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| 55 | 55 | | (2) provide evaluation of specific proposals for use |
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| 56 | 56 | | of economic development funds in the border region, including tax |
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| 57 | 57 | | abatement agreements; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (3) consult with the Texas Economic Development and |
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| 59 | 59 | | Tourism Office within the office of the governor on issues related |
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| 60 | 60 | | to the border region; |
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| 61 | 61 | | (4) study and report on opportunities to improve trade |
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| 62 | 62 | | across the international border; |
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| 63 | 63 | | (5) consult with the division of planning coordination |
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| 64 | 64 | | within the governor's office under Section 772.004 about issues |
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| 65 | 65 | | related to the border region that mutually concern the bureau and |
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| 66 | 66 | | the division; and |
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| 67 | 67 | | (6) make recommendations to the legislature about |
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| 68 | 68 | | establishment of infrastructure projects to assist multiple |
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| 69 | 69 | | counties in the border region. |
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| 70 | 70 | | Sec. 471.008. GIFTS AND GRANTS. The bureau may accept gifts |
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| 71 | 71 | | and grants from any source to be used to carry out the bureau's |
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| 72 | 72 | | duties. The bureau shall actively seek gifts from businesses and |
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| 73 | 73 | | organizations that represent businesses to support the bureau's |
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| 74 | 74 | | functions. |
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| 75 | 75 | | (b) In appointing the initial appointed members of the |
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| 76 | 76 | | Bureau for Economic Development of the Border Region, as added by |
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| 77 | 77 | | this section: |
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| 78 | 78 | | (1) the governor shall appoint one member to serve a |
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| 79 | 79 | | term expiring February 1, 2010, and one member to serve a term |
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| 80 | 80 | | expiring February 1, 2011; |
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| 81 | 81 | | (2) the lieutenant governor shall appoint one member |
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| 82 | 82 | | to serve a term expiring February 1, 2010, and one member to serve a |
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| 83 | 83 | | term expiring February 1, 2011; |
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| 84 | 84 | | (3) the speaker of the house of representatives shall |
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| 85 | 85 | | appoint one member to serve a term expiring February 1, 2010, and |
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| 86 | 86 | | one member to serve a term expiring February 1, 2011; and |
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| 87 | 87 | | (4) the secretary of state shall appoint one member to |
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| 88 | 88 | | serve a term expiring February 1, 2011. |
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| 89 | 89 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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