| 1 | 1 | | By: Hancock, Birdwell, Creighton S.J.R. No. 2 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed March 10, 2015; March 10, 2015, read |
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| 3 | 3 | | first time and referred to Committee on Finance; April 7, 2015, |
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| 4 | 4 | | reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the |
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| 5 | 5 | | following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 5; April 7, 2015, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 7 | 7 | | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.J.R. No. 2 By: Hancock |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | |
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| 10 | 10 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION |
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| 11 | 11 | | proposing a constitutional amendment concerning the limitation on |
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| 12 | 12 | | the rate of growth in appropriations. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Section 22, Article VIII, Texas Constitution, is |
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| 15 | 15 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 22. (a) For purposes of this section, "consolidated |
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| 17 | 17 | | general revenue appropriations" means appropriations from: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) the general revenue fund in the state treasury; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) a dedicated account in the general revenue fund in |
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| 20 | 20 | | the state treasury; or |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) a general revenue-related fund in the state |
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| 22 | 22 | | treasury as identified in the biennial statement required of the |
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| 23 | 23 | | comptroller of public accounts under Section 49a, Article III, of |
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| 24 | 24 | | this constitution. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) In no state fiscal biennium shall the rate of growth of |
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| 26 | 26 | | consolidated general revenue appropriations [from state tax |
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| 27 | 27 | | revenues not dedicated by this constitution] exceed the estimated |
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| 28 | 28 | | average biennial rate of growth of the state's population during |
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| 29 | 29 | | the state fiscal biennium preceding the biennium for which |
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| 30 | 30 | | appropriations are made and during the state fiscal biennium for |
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| 31 | 31 | | which appropriations are made adjusted by the estimated average |
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| 32 | 32 | | biennial rate of monetary inflation in this state during the same |
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| 33 | 33 | | period [economy]. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) Notwithstanding Subsection (b) of this section, an |
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| 35 | 35 | | appropriation to pay for a rebate of state taxes must be excluded |
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| 36 | 36 | | from computations used to determine whether appropriations exceed |
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| 37 | 37 | | the amount authorized by this section. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (d) The rates described by Subsection (b) of this section |
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| 39 | 39 | | shall be determined in the manner provided by general law. If the |
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| 40 | 40 | | determined rate is a negative number, consolidated general revenue |
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| 41 | 41 | | appropriations for the next state fiscal biennium may not exceed |
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| 42 | 42 | | the consolidated general revenue appropriations in the current |
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| 43 | 43 | | state fiscal biennium. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (e) The legislature shall provide by general law procedures |
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| 45 | 45 | | to implement Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section |
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| 46 | 46 | | [subsection]. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (f) [(b)] If the legislature by adoption of a resolution |
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| 48 | 48 | | approved by a record vote of three-fifths [a majority] of the |
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| 49 | 49 | | members of each house finds that an emergency exists and identifies |
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| 50 | 50 | | the nature of the emergency, the legislature may provide for |
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| 51 | 51 | | appropriations in excess of the amount authorized by Subsection (b) |
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| 52 | 52 | | [(a)] of this section. The excess authorized under this subsection |
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| 53 | 53 | | may not exceed the amount specified in the resolution. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (g) [(c)] In no case shall appropriations exceed revenues |
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| 55 | 55 | | as provided in Section 49a, Article III, [Section 49a,] of this |
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| 56 | 56 | | constitution. Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter, |
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| 57 | 57 | | amend, or repeal Section 49a, Article III, [Section 49a,] of this |
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| 58 | 58 | | constitution. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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| 60 | 60 | | submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 3, 2015. |
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| 61 | 61 | | The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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| 62 | 62 | | proposition: "The constitutional amendment concerning the |
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| 63 | 63 | | limitation on the rate of growth in appropriations." |
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| 64 | 64 | | * * * * * |
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