| 1 | 1 | | 88R2440 SCP-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Eckhardt S.B. No. 197 |
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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 award of library construction grants by the Texas |
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| 8 | 8 | | State Library and Archives Commission. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 441.135(b), Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b) The program of grants shall include one or more of the |
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| 13 | 13 | | following: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) system operation grants, to: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (A) provide basic system support services to |
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| 16 | 16 | | member libraries; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (B) provide coordination and enable cooperation |
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| 18 | 18 | | with the commission and with other libraries in a region; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (C) meet commission and federal goals; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) incentive grants, to encourage public libraries to |
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| 21 | 21 | | join together into larger units of service to meet commission and |
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| 22 | 22 | | federal goals; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) establishment grants, to help libraries establish |
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| 24 | 24 | | consortia or cooperatives that will enable libraries to better |
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| 25 | 25 | | serve their communities; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) equalization grants, to help public libraries in |
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| 27 | 27 | | communities with relatively limited taxable resources to meet |
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| 28 | 28 | | commission and federal goals and qualify for library system |
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| 29 | 29 | | membership; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (5) public information technology grants, to help |
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| 31 | 31 | | public libraries make state, local, and federal government |
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| 32 | 32 | | information that is accessible through the Internet available to |
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| 33 | 33 | | the public through computers; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (6) competitive grants, to promote innovation by |
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| 35 | 35 | | public libraries and by libraries described by Section 441.1271(a) |
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| 36 | 36 | | and to encourage major resource systems or regional library systems |
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| 37 | 37 | | and libraries to meet commission and federal goals; [and] |
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| 38 | 38 | | (7) grants to aid local libraries, to provide |
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| 39 | 39 | | assistance to public libraries, and to help those libraries meet |
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| 40 | 40 | | commission and federal goals; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (8) construction grants, to encourage the |
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| 42 | 42 | | establishment of new public libraries or the improvement of |
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| 43 | 43 | | existing public libraries. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 2. Section 441.138, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 45 | 45 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as |
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| 46 | 46 | | follows: |
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| 47 | 47 | | (b) Libraries and library systems may use state grants for: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (1) materials; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (2) [,] personnel; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (3) [,] equipment; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (4) [,] administrative expenses; |
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| 52 | 52 | | (5) new construction, rehabilitation, or renovation |
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| 53 | 53 | | of a library or the infrastructure of a library and associated |
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| 54 | 54 | | expenses; [,] and |
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| 55 | 55 | | (6) financing programs that enrich the services and |
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| 56 | 56 | | materials offered a community by its public library. |
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| 57 | 57 | | (b-1) State grants may not be used for site acquisition, |
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| 58 | 58 | | [construction,] acquisition of buildings, or payment of past debts. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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