Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HJR113 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R343 CAE-D
2	2	By: King of Hemphill H.J.R. No. 113
3	3
4	4
5	5	A JOINT RESOLUTION
6	6	proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the state to pay at
7	7	least 50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating the public
8	8	school system and prohibiting the comptroller from certifying
9	9	legislation containing an appropriation for public education
10	10	unless the requirement is met.
11	11	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 1, Article VII, Texas Constitution, is
13	13	amended to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 1. A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to
15	15	the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall
16	16	be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make
17	17	suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient
18	18	system of public free schools by providing State funding in an
19	19	amount that constitutes, as determined by the Legislature, at least
20	20	50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating that system.
21	21	SECTION 2. Section 49a, Article III, Texas Constitution, is
22	22	amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to
23	23	read as follows:
24	24	(b) Except in the case of emergency and imperative public
25	25	necessity and with a four-fifths vote of the total membership of
26	26	each House, no appropriation in excess of the cash and anticipated
27	27	revenue of the funds from which such appropriation is to be made
28	28	shall be valid. No bill containing an appropriation shall be
29	29	considered as passed or be sent to the Governor for consideration
30	30	until and unless:
31	31	(1) the Comptroller of Public Accounts endorses the
32	32	Comptroller's [his] certificate thereon showing that the amount
33	33	appropriated is within the amount estimated to be available in the
34	34	affected funds; and
35	35	(2) if the bill makes an appropriation for the general
36	36	maintenance and operation of the system of public free schools, the
37	37	Comptroller additionally certifies that the appropriation,
38	38	together with all other appropriations made for the general
39	39	maintenance and operation of that system for the same period,
40	40	complies with the requirement of Section 1, Article VII, of this
41	41	constitution.
42	42	(c) When the Comptroller finds an appropriation bill
43	43	exceeds the estimated revenue or, if applicable, fails to comply
44	44	with Section 1, Article VII, of this constitution, the Comptroller
45	45	[he] shall endorse such finding thereon and return to the House in
46	46	which same originated. Such information shall be immediately made
47	47	known to both the House of Representatives and the Senate and the
48	48	necessary steps shall be taken to, as applicable:
49	49	(1) bring such appropriation to within the revenue,
50	50	either by providing additional revenue or reducing the
51	51	appropriation; or
52	52	(2) comply with Section 1, Article VII, of this
53	53	constitution.
54	54	SECTION 3. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
55	55	submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 5, 2019.
56	56	The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
57	57	proposition: "The constitutional amendment requiring the state to
58	58	pay at least 50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating the
59	59	public school system and prohibiting the comptroller from
60	60	certifying legislation containing an appropriation for public
61	61	education unless the requirement is met."