| 1 | 1 | | 87R12181 CJC-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hernandez H.B. No. 3460 |
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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 a grant program to provide direct |
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| 8 | 8 | | financial assistance to certain residents of this state who were |
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| 9 | 9 | | affected by the winter disaster of 2021. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Providing Ongoing |
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| 12 | 12 | | Water and Energy Resources (POWER) to Texas Consumers Act. |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 403.0281 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 403.0281. GRANTS FOR RESPONSE TO WINTER DISASTER OF |
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| 16 | 16 | | 2021. (a) In this section: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) "Eligible resident" means a resident of this state |
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| 18 | 18 | | who: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (A) is a member of a household that earns not more |
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| 20 | 20 | | than 60 percent of the area median income; or |
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| 21 | 21 | | (B) receives state or federal public benefits. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) "Local government" means a municipality or county. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) "Qualifying nonprofit" means a nonprofit |
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| 24 | 24 | | organization that provides services to connect persons with |
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| 25 | 25 | | programs operated by local governments, including the grant program |
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| 26 | 26 | | under this section. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (4) "Winter disaster of 2021" means the weather event |
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| 28 | 28 | | that involved snowfall, ice accumulation, and below freezing |
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| 29 | 29 | | temperatures and that occurred in this state between February 14, |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2021, and February 20, 2021. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) Using money available for the purpose, the comptroller |
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| 32 | 32 | | shall establish and administer a program to provide grants to local |
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| 33 | 33 | | governments which may be used only to provide direct financial |
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| 34 | 34 | | assistance to the local governments' eligible residents who were |
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| 35 | 35 | | affected by the winter disaster of 2021. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (c) The comptroller shall establish: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (1) the formula to be used to distribute the grants to |
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| 38 | 38 | | local governments; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2) deadlines for the disbursement and spending of |
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| 40 | 40 | | grant money; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (3) a standardized application process to be used by |
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| 42 | 42 | | each local government that receives a grant under this section; and |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) procedures for: |
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| 44 | 44 | | (A) monitoring the disbursements of grants by |
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| 45 | 45 | | local governments to ensure compliance with this section; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (B) the return of grant money that was not used by |
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| 47 | 47 | | a local government to provide direct financial assistance. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (d) A local government may: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (1) use grant money awarded under this section only |
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| 50 | 50 | | for the purpose described by Subsection (b); |
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| 51 | 51 | | (2) provide direct financial assistance to an eligible |
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| 52 | 52 | | resident in any amount that is not less than $1,000 or more than |
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| 53 | 53 | | $2,500 if the local government determines that the eligible |
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| 54 | 54 | | resident was affected by the winter disaster of 2021; |
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| 55 | 55 | | (3) prioritize the award of grants to eligible |
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| 56 | 56 | | residents most in need of assistance, as determined by the local |
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| 57 | 57 | | government; and |
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| 58 | 58 | | (4) contract with a qualifying nonprofit to ensure the |
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| 59 | 59 | | local government's eligible residents are made aware of the grant |
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| 60 | 60 | | program. |
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| 61 | 61 | | (e) The comptroller may solicit and accept gifts, grants, |
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| 62 | 62 | | and donations from any source for the purpose of awarding grants |
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| 63 | 63 | | under this section. |
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| 64 | 64 | | (f) The comptroller shall adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 65 | 65 | | administer this section. |
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| 66 | 66 | | (g) This section expires September 1, 2023. |
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| 67 | 67 | | SECTION 3. Not later than the 30th day following the |
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| 68 | 68 | | effective date of this Act, the comptroller of public accounts |
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| 69 | 69 | | shall comply with the requirements of Section 403.0281(c), |
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| 70 | 70 | | Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 72 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 73 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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