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| 4 | 6 | | |
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| 5 | 7 | | A JOINT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 8 | | proposing a constitutional amendment creating the state school |
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| 7 | 9 | | safety fund to provide financial support for projects that enhance |
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| 8 | 10 | | the safety of public schools in this state. |
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| 9 | 11 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Article VII, Texas Constitution, is amended by |
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| 11 | 13 | | adding Section 7 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 14 | | Sec. 7. (a) The state school safety fund is created as a |
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| 13 | 15 | | special fund in the state treasury outside the general revenue |
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| 14 | 16 | | fund. Money in the state school safety fund shall be administered, |
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| 15 | 17 | | without further appropriation, by the Texas Permanent School Fund |
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| 16 | 18 | | Corporation or that corporation's successor in function. In |
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| 17 | 19 | | accordance with general law, the state school safety fund may be |
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| 18 | 20 | | used only to support projects to enhance the safety of public |
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| 19 | 21 | | schools in this state, including projects to ensure public schools |
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| 20 | 22 | | meet school safety standards established by the Texas Education |
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| 21 | 23 | | Agency or that agency's successor in function. Separate accounts |
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| 22 | 24 | | may be established in the state school safety fund as necessary or |
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| 23 | 25 | | convenient to administer the fund or the supported projects. |
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| 24 | 26 | | (b) The legislature by general law may authorize the Texas |
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| 25 | 27 | | Permanent School Fund Corporation or that corporation's successor |
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| 26 | 28 | | in function to provide money from the state school safety fund to |
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| 27 | 29 | | the Texas Education Agency or that agency's successor in function |
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| 28 | 30 | | for purposes of providing financial assistance, including by direct |
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| 29 | 31 | | grant to an independent school district or open-enrollment charter |
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| 30 | 32 | | school, for projects described under Subsection (a) of this |
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| 31 | 33 | | section. |
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| 32 | 34 | | (c) The state school safety fund consists of: |
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| 33 | 35 | | (1) money appropriated to the fund; |
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| 34 | 36 | | (2) money transferred or deposited to the credit of |
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| 35 | 37 | | the fund by general law, including money from any source |
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| 36 | 38 | | transferred or deposited to the credit of the fund at the discretion |
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| 37 | 39 | | of the Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation or the Texas |
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| 38 | 40 | | Education Agency or that corporation's or agency's successor in |
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| 39 | 41 | | function as authorized by general law; |
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| 40 | 42 | | (3) revenue from any source that the legislature by |
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| 41 | 43 | | statute dedicates for deposit to the credit of the fund; |
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| 42 | 44 | | (4) investment earnings and interest earned on amounts |
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| 43 | 45 | | credited to the fund; |
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| 44 | 46 | | (5) money appropriated by the legislature for the |
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| 45 | 47 | | purposes of funding public schools that is determined by the |
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| 46 | 48 | | commissioner of education to exceed the amount required for the |
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| 47 | 49 | | support and maintenance of public schools, including amounts to |
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| 48 | 50 | | which the public schools of this state are entitled under general |
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| 49 | 51 | | law; and |
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| 50 | 52 | | (6) money transferred to the fund from another fund or |
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| 51 | 53 | | account to which money from the fund was transferred, as authorized |
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| 52 | 54 | | by general law. |
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| 53 | 55 | | (d) The legislature by general law shall provide for the |
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| 54 | 56 | | manner in which money in the state school safety fund may be used, |
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| 55 | 57 | | subject to the limitations provided by this section. The |
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| 56 | 58 | | legislature by general law may provide for costs of investment and |
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| 57 | 59 | | administration of the state school safety fund to be paid from the |
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| 58 | 60 | | fund. |
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| 59 | 61 | | (e) For the purposes of Section 22, Article VIII, of this |
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| 60 | 62 | | constitution, an appropriation of money from the economic |
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| 61 | 63 | | stabilization fund for the purpose of depositing that money to the |
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| 62 | 64 | | credit of the state school safety fund is considered to be an |
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| 63 | 65 | | appropriation of state tax revenues dedicated by this constitution. |
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| 64 | 66 | | (f) This section is intended to establish a basic framework |
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| 65 | 67 | | of the state school safety fund, and the legislature by general law |
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| 66 | 68 | | may provide for the implementation and effectuate the design and |
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| 67 | 69 | | objects of this section and may delegate duties, responsibilities, |
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| 68 | 70 | | functions, and authority to the Texas Permanent School Fund |
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| 69 | 71 | | Corporation or the Texas Education Agency or that corporation's or |
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| 70 | 72 | | agency's successor in function for those purposes. |
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| 71 | 73 | | SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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| 72 | 74 | | submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 2023. |
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| 73 | 75 | | The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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| 74 | 76 | | proposition: "The constitutional amendment creating the state |
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| 75 | 77 | | school safety fund to provide financial support for projects that |
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| 76 | 78 | | enhance the safety of public schools in this state." |
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