82R7137 KLA-D
By: Watson S.B. No. 697
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a state budgeting plan to foster this state's economic
health.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "committee" means the
State Budgeting Plan Legislative Advisory Committee established
under Section 2 of this Act.
SECTION 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF STATE BUDGETING
PLAN LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The State Budgeting Plan
Legislative Advisory Committee is composed of 17 members as
follows:
(1) the chair and vice chair of the Senate Committee on
Finance;
(2) the chair of the House Appropriations Committee;
(3) the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee;
(4) one public member appointed by the lieutenant
governor;
(5) one public member appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives; and
(6) 11 members appointed by the governor, as follows:
(A) three selected from a list of 10 names of
persons recommended by the Metro 8 Chambers of Commerce;
(B) one selected from a list of five names of
persons recommended by the Texas Medical Association;
(C) one selected from a list of five names of
persons recommended by the Texas Hospital Association;
(D) one selected from a list of five names of
persons recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards;
(E) one selected from a list of five names of
persons recommended by the Texas affiliate of the American
Federation of Teachers (Texas AFT);
(F) one selected from a list of five names of
persons recommended by the United Ways of Texas;
(G) one selected from a list of five names of
persons recommended as follows:
(i) one by the Texas Public Employees
Association;
(ii) one by the Texas State Employees
Union;
(iii) one by the Department of Public
Safety Officers Association;
(iv) one by the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees; and
(v) one by the Retired State Employees
Association; and
(H) two persons the governor determines are
appropriate.
(b) Each entity specified by Subsection (a)(6) of this
section to recommend a person or persons for consideration for an
appointment shall make the recommendation not later than October 1,
2011.
(c) A person specified by Subsection (a) of this section to
appoint a committee member shall make the appointment not later
than November 1, 2011.
(d) The governor shall select one member of the committee to
serve as the chair and another member to serve as the vice chair.
(e) The committee shall meet at the call of the chair.
(f) A committee member may not receive compensation for
serving on the committee but is entitled to reimbursement of travel
expenses incurred by the member while conducting the business of
the committee as provided by the General Appropriations Act.
SECTION 3. STATE BUDGETING PLAN. (a) The committee shall
develop a comprehensive state budgeting plan consisting of
recommended state budgeting guidelines and processes the
implementation of which are anticipated to foster this state's
current and long-term economic health. At a minimum, the plan must
provide guidelines and processes designed to:
(1) eliminate diversions of revenue realized from the
taxes imposed by Chapter 162, Tax Code, from uses other than the
construction and maintenance of roads and other transportation
systems;
(2) eliminate diversions of other state revenue from
the purposes for which the revenue is dedicated by law to general
governmental purposes through the operation of Section 403.095,
Government Code, or other mechanisms;
(3) address and eliminate, to the extent possible, the
structural state budget deficit created by the fiscal decisions
made in 2006 during the special session of the 79th Legislature;
(4) employ budget practices and initiatives and
investment strategies the implementation of which would leverage
all available funds and increase resources coming to this state
from outside of this state;
(5) facilitate making investments that are vital to
this state's immediate and future economic health and provide
options for paying for those investments without unnecessarily or
excessively burdening taxpayers and residents of this state; and
(6) modify and update budgeting practices to ensure
that legislation and other initiatives offering significant
potential for economic development and growth in this state's tax
base are not hindered by legislative rules and practices regarding
the types of legislation that may be considered and enacted by the
legislature.
(b) The committee shall hold public hearings at locations
throughout this state to hear testimony regarding the issues to be
addressed in the state budgeting plan.
SECTION 4. SUBMISSION OF STATE BUDGETING PLAN. (a) The
committee shall submit the state budgeting plan developed under
Section 3 of this Act to the Senate Finance Committee, the House
Appropriations Committee, and the Legislative Budget Board not
later than June 1, 2012.
(b) The Senate Finance Committee and the House
Appropriations Committee shall consider the state budgeting
guidelines and processes recommended in the state budgeting plan in
developing proposed state budgets for the state fiscal biennium
beginning September 1, 2013, and future state fiscal bienniums.
SECTION 5. ABOLITION OF COMMITTEE. The committee is
abolished September 1, 2013.
SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 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, 2011.