| 1 | 1 | | 2019S0271-1 02/25/19 |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Perry S.B. No. 1206 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the creation of the governor's broadband council. |
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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. Subtitle F, Title 4, Government Code, is amended |
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| 10 | 10 | | by adding Chapter 490H to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | CHAPTER 490H. GOVERNOR'S BROADBAND COUNCIL |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 490H.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Broadband" means a service that provides advanced |
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| 14 | 14 | | telecommunications capability and Internet access. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) "Council" means the governor's broadband council. |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 490H.002. ESTABLISHMENT AND COMPOSITION. (a) The |
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| 17 | 17 | | governor's broadband council is established in the office of the |
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| 18 | 18 | | governor. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The council is composed of the following 15 voting |
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| 20 | 20 | | members: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) two representatives of unaffiliated Internet |
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| 22 | 22 | | service providers, appointed by the governor; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) one representative of a nonprofit organization |
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| 24 | 24 | | that advocates for elderly persons statewide, appointed by the |
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| 25 | 25 | | governor; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (3) two representatives of unaffiliated nonprofit |
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| 27 | 27 | | organizations that have a demonstrated history of working with the |
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| 28 | 28 | | legislature and the public to identify solutions for expanding |
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| 29 | 29 | | broadband to rural and underserved areas of this state, appointed |
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| 30 | 30 | | by the governor; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) one representative of an agricultural advocacy |
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| 32 | 32 | | organization in this state, appointed by the governor; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) one representative of a hospital advocacy |
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| 34 | 34 | | organization in this state, appointed by the governor; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (6) one representative of a medical advocacy |
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| 36 | 36 | | organization in this state, appointed by the governor; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (7) one county official who serves in an elected |
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| 38 | 38 | | office of a county with a population of less than 35,000, appointed |
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| 39 | 39 | | by the governor; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (8) one municipal official who serves in an elected |
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| 41 | 41 | | office of a municipality with a population of less than 20,000 that |
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| 42 | 42 | | is located in a county with a population of less than 60,000, |
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| 43 | 43 | | appointed by the governor; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (9) one representative of an institution of higher |
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| 45 | 45 | | education who has published scholarly research on broadband, |
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| 46 | 46 | | appointed by the governor; |
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| 47 | 47 | | (10) two members of the house of representatives, |
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| 48 | 48 | | appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and |
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| 49 | 49 | | (11) two members of the senate, appointed by the |
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| 50 | 50 | | lieutenant governor. |
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| 51 | 51 | | (c) A member of the council appointed under Subsection (b) |
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| 52 | 52 | | serves for a five-year term. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (d) A vacancy on the council is filled in the same manner as |
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| 54 | 54 | | the original appointment. |
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| 55 | 55 | | Sec. 490H.003. PRESIDING OFFICER. The governor shall |
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| 56 | 56 | | designate the presiding officer of the council from among the |
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| 57 | 57 | | members of the council. |
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| 58 | 58 | | Sec. 490H.004. MEETINGS. (a) The council shall convene at |
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| 59 | 59 | | least once every quarter. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (b) The council shall convene at the call of the presiding |
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| 61 | 61 | | officer. |
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| 62 | 62 | | Sec. 490H.005. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. The governor's |
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| 63 | 63 | | office shall provide administrative support to the council. |
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| 64 | 64 | | Sec. 490H.006. DUTIES. The council shall: |
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| 65 | 65 | | (1) research the past and present development of |
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| 66 | 66 | | broadband in areas that are currently underserved and unserved with |
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| 67 | 67 | | broadband; |
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| 68 | 68 | | (2) identify barriers to residential and commercial |
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| 69 | 69 | | broadband access in this state and to broadband development in this |
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| 70 | 70 | | state and study solutions to overcome the identified barriers; and |
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| 71 | 71 | | (3) analyze how statewide access to broadband would |
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| 72 | 72 | | benefit: |
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| 73 | 73 | | (A) economic development; |
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| 74 | 74 | | (B) the delivery of educational opportunities in |
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| 75 | 75 | | higher education and public education; |
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| 76 | 76 | | (C) state and local law enforcement; |
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| 77 | 77 | | (D) state emergency preparedness; |
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| 78 | 78 | | (E) the delivery of health care services, |
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| 79 | 79 | | including telemedicine and telehealth; and |
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| 80 | 80 | | (F) any other matter related to the subject of |
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| 81 | 81 | | broadband that a majority of the council members deem appropriate |
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| 82 | 82 | | to research. |
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| 83 | 83 | | Sec. 490H.007. ANNUAL REPORT. Not later than November 1 of |
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| 84 | 84 | | each year, the council shall prepare and deliver a report in |
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| 85 | 85 | | electronic format of its findings and recommendations to the |
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| 86 | 86 | | governor, the lieutenant governor, and each member of the |
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| 87 | 87 | | legislature. |
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| 88 | 88 | | Sec. 490H.008. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires September |
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| 89 | 89 | | 1, 2029. |
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| 90 | 90 | | SECTION 2. A report required under Section 490H.007, |
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| 91 | 91 | | Government Code, as added by this Act, is not required to be |
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| 92 | 92 | | prepared or submitted for the first time before November 1, 2020. |
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| 93 | 93 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 94 | 94 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 95 | 95 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 96 | 96 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 97 | 97 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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