| 1 | 1 | | By: Menéndez S.B. No. 238 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the installment of electric school buses and solar |
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| 7 | 7 | | panels in Texas public schools. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | ARTICLE 1: FINDING AND PURPOSE |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1.01. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. The |
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| 11 | 11 | | legislature finds that: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (1) The legislature is committed to ensuring federal funding |
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| 13 | 13 | | and state resources are equitably allocated to prevent a disaster |
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| 14 | 14 | | such as Winter Storm Uri from occurring once again. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) The legislature equally commits to reviewing and |
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| 16 | 16 | | utilizing efficient methods such as battery storage and |
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| 17 | 17 | | dispatchable energy, to the best of its ability to ensure all Texas |
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| 18 | 18 | | residents have access to energy in the case of another state |
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| 19 | 19 | | disaster. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) The legislature finds that public school facilities are |
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| 21 | 21 | | in a unique position because of the hours of operation to serve as |
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| 22 | 22 | | an energy storage facility. Solar panels can be installed on these |
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| 23 | 23 | | public schools and electric school buses may be reliable form for |
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| 24 | 24 | | energy to be stored, distributed, and reserved daily and/or |
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| 25 | 25 | | dispatched in case of an emergency. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) The legislature is committed to appropriating funds to |
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| 27 | 27 | | assist in the updated infrastructure of our public schools and to |
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| 28 | 28 | | ensure the reliability of the Texas grid. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (5) The federal government has created new programs and tax |
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| 30 | 30 | | credits allowing public schools to benefit from the use of electric |
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| 31 | 31 | | school buses and clean energy measures such as solar panels. These |
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| 32 | 32 | | benefits include nearly $5 billion dollars to replace school buses |
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| 33 | 33 | | with electric models. Additionally, there are at least 51 Texas |
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| 34 | 34 | | projects amounting to $164 million that have been waitlisted, |
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| 35 | 35 | | demonstrating a strong interest and need for assistance in applying |
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| 36 | 36 | | for these methods. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (6) The legislature understands that in a state of disaster |
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| 38 | 38 | | public schools may be able to serve as an emergency shelter because |
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| 39 | 39 | | of the storage generated by the electric school buses and solar |
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| 40 | 40 | | panels on public schools. |
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| 41 | 41 | | ARTICLE 2: USE OF THE STATE ENERGY CONSERVATION OFFICE |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. Sec. 447.002. and 447.003., Government Code, is |
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| 43 | 43 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 44 | 44 | | Sec. 447.002. INFORMATION; PROCEDURES AND RULES; MEASURES |
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| 45 | 45 | | AND PROGRAMS. (a) The state energy conservation office shall |
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| 46 | 46 | | develop and provide energy and water conservation information for |
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| 47 | 47 | | the state. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (b) The state energy conservation office may establish |
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| 49 | 49 | | procedures and adopt rules relating to the development and |
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| 50 | 50 | | implementation of energy and water conservation measures and |
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| 51 | 51 | | programs applicable to state buildings and facilities. |
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| 52 | 52 | | (c) A procedure established or a rule adopted under |
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| 53 | 53 | | Subsection (b) may include provisions relating to: |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) the retrofitting of existing state buildings and |
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| 55 | 55 | | facilities with energy-saving or water-saving devices; and |
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| 56 | 56 | | (2) the energy-related or water-related renovation of |
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| 57 | 57 | | those buildings and facilities; and |
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| 58 | 58 | | (3) assistance to public school districts to submit |
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| 59 | 59 | | applications for federal and state funding for the installation and |
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| 60 | 60 | | purchase of electric school buses and solar panels in public |
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| 61 | 61 | | schools. |
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| 62 | 62 | | Sec. 447.003. LIAISON TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The state |
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| 63 | 63 | | energy conservation office is the state liaison to the federal |
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| 64 | 64 | | government for the implementation and administration of federal |
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| 65 | 65 | | programs relating to state agency energy matters. The office shall |
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| 66 | 66 | | administer state programs established under: |
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| 67 | 67 | | (1) Part D, Title III, Energy Policy and Conservation Act |
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| 68 | 68 | | (42 U.S.C. Section 6321 et seq.), and its subsequent amendments; |
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| 69 | 69 | | (2) Part G, Title III, Energy Policy and Conservation Act |
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| 70 | 70 | | (42 U.S.C. Section 6371 et seq.), and its subsequent amendments; |
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| 71 | 71 | | and |
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| 72 | 72 | | (3) other federal energy conservation programs including the |
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| 73 | 73 | | Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act, and other state sources of funding as assigned to the office by |
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| 75 | 75 | | the governor or the legislature. |
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| 76 | 76 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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