Texas 2019 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2002 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/07/2019

                    86R13194 JAM-F
 By: Alvarado S.B. No. 2002


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the inclusion of affordable housing as a qualifying
 project for public-private partnerships.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 2267.001(10), Government Code, is
 amended to read as follows:
 (10)  "Qualifying project" means:
 (A)  any ferry, mass transit facility, vehicle
 parking facility, port facility, power generation facility, fuel
 supply facility, oil or gas pipeline, water supply facility, public
 work, waste treatment facility, hospital, school, medical or
 nursing care facility, recreational facility, affordable housing,
 public building, technology facility, or other similar facility
 currently available or to be made available to a governmental
 entity for public use, including any structure, parking area,
 appurtenance, and other property required to operate the structure
 or facility and any technology infrastructure installed in the
 structure or facility that is essential to the project's purpose;
 or
 (B)  any improvements necessary or desirable to
 real property owned by a governmental entity.
 SECTION 2.  Section 2267.002(a), Government Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 (a)  The legislature finds that:
 (1)  there is a public need for timely acquisition,
 design, construction, improvement, renovation, expansion,
 equipping, maintenance, operation, implementation, and
 installation of education facilities, affordable housing,
 technology and other public infrastructure, and government
 facilities in this state that serve a public need and purpose;
 (2)  the public need may not be wholly satisfied by
 existing methods of procurement in which qualifying projects are
 acquired, designed, constructed, improved, renovated, expanded,
 equipped, maintained, operated, implemented, or installed;
 (3)  there are inadequate resources to develop new
 education facilities, affordable housing, technology and other
 public infrastructure, and government facilities for the benefit of
 the citizens of this state, and there is demonstrated evidence that
 partnerships between public entities and private entities or other
 persons can meet these needs by improving the schedule for
 delivery, lowering the cost, and providing other benefits to the
 public;
 (4)  financial incentives exist under state and federal
 tax provisions that encourage public entities to enter into
 partnerships with private entities or other persons to develop
 qualifying projects; and
 (5)  authorizing private entities or other persons to
 develop or operate one or more qualifying projects may serve the
 public safety, benefit, and welfare by making the projects
 available to the public in a more timely or less costly fashion.
 SECTION 3.  Section 2267.001(10), Government Code, as
 amended by this Act, applies only to a qualifying project for which
 an agreement is entered into on or after the effective date of this
 Act.
 SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.