Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1650 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 02/19/2015

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                            84R8187 CJC-D
 By: Turner of Collin H.B. No. 1650


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the legislative appropriations request process for the
 Texas Department of Transportation.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 322.008, Government Code, is amended by
 adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
 (b-1)  The director shall, as appropriate, organize the
 proposed appropriations for the Texas Department of Transportation
 in the manner and include the content required under Section
 201.119, Transportation Code.
 SECTION 2.  Section 201.119, Transportation Code, is amended
 by adding Subsections (c), (d), (e), and (f) to read as follows:
 (c)  Notwithstanding Section 401.042, Government Code, the
 department shall develop a zero-based legislative appropriations
 request for every third state fiscal biennium that includes:
 (1)  a citation to:
 (A)  the department's authority under the Texas
 Constitution to operate; and
 (B)  the law specifying the department's purpose
 or mission; and
 (2)  a list of the department's requests for
 legislative appropriations organized by program or activity.
 (d)  For each specific program or activity described by
 Subsection (c)(2), the department must include:
 (1)  a line item that describes the program or activity
 and the purpose of the program or activity and cites the law that
 authorizes or requires the program or activity;
 (2)  a statement of the commission's goals for the
 program or activity;
 (3)  the appropriation made for the program or activity
 for the state fiscal biennium preceding the state fiscal biennium
 for which the requested appropriation is made;
 (4)  the amount of the requested appropriation;
 (5)  a statement that specifies whether the requested
 appropriation for the program or activity is from nondedicated
 money in the general revenue fund, dedicated money in the general
 revenue fund, the state highway fund, federal money, or another
 source;
 (6)  the number of full-time equivalent employees
 authorized for the program or activity for the state fiscal
 biennium preceding the state fiscal biennium for which the
 requested appropriation is made and the number of full-time
 equivalent employees for the biennium that would be authorized
 under the requested appropriation;
 (7)  an itemized account of expenditures required to
 maintain the minimum level of service required by law to be provided
 through the program or activity and a succinct statement of the
 quantity and quality of services provided at that minimum level;
 and
 (8)  an itemized account of expenditures required to
 maintain the current level of service provided through the program
 or activity and a succinct statement of the quantity and quality of
 services provided at the current level.
 (e)  Line items described by Subsection (d)(1) must be
 grouped together according to the level in the department's
 organizational structure at which budgetary authority for the
 program or activity represented by a line item is exercised by a
 manager who has authority over the department's finances.
 (f)  For each legislative appropriations request made in the
 manner required by Subsection (c), the commission shall develop and
 submit to the Legislative Budget Board a ranking of the programs and
 activities represented by the line items according to the relative
 importance of each program and activity to the overall goals and
 purposes of the department and the commission.
 SECTION 3.  (a)  Section 322.008, Government Code, as
 amended by this Act, applies beginning with the general
 appropriations bill prepared for the 2018-2019 state fiscal
 biennium.
 (b)  The Texas Department of Transportation shall develop
 and submit a zero-based legislative appropriations request as
 required by Section 201.119, Transportation Code, as amended by
 this Act, beginning with the department's legislative
 appropriations request for the 2018-2019 state fiscal biennium.
 SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.