HBA-MPM S.B. 1746 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1746 By: Jackson Environmental Regulation 4/27/1999 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law does not provide for a Texas Environmental Education Partnership Fund (TEEP fund) and a Texas Environmental Education Partnership trust fund (TEEP trust fund). The Texas Environmental Education Partnership (TEEP) is a coalition focused on building a framework for environmental education for Texas, recognizing the diversity of Texas citizens. S.B. 1746 creates the TEEP Fund and TEEP trust fund. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. Defines "board," "participating partner," "TEEP fund," and "TEEP trust fund." SECTION 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF TEXAS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP FUND. Establishes the Texas Environmental Education Partnership Fund (TEEP) and requires it to operate as a public/private nonprofit education partnership. SECTION 3. PURPOSE. Sets forth the purpose of the TEEP to include raising money from a diversity of resources to pay for certain projects, including educator scholarships, environmental education projects, ensuring that textbooks treat environmental issues with a balanced approach and explain scientific principles, ensuring system-wide assessment of essential knowledge and skills related to environmental education, and environmental education materials to review certain projects, activities, and programs for approval and funding and to establish a working relationship between TEEP state agencies with educational functions. SECTION 4. DESIGNATION OF PARTICIPATING PARTNER. Requires the board of the TEEP fund (board) to designate one or more public/private partnership entities as a participating partner to develop and propose environmental education projects, activities, and programs to receive assistance from the TEEP fund. Provides that a participating partner must represent a broad spectrum of public and private interests relating to scientifically based and balanced environmental and educational concerns. SECTION 5. TEEP FUND BOARD. Provides that the board consists of no more than 12 members and sets forth the composition of the membership. Requires the 10 members appointed by the governor to be culturally, ethnically, and geographically diverse. Provides that a board member is appointed for a renewable term of two years, expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year. Provides that a board member serves at the will of the appointing official, and provides that a member representing the senate or house of representatives is a nonvoting member. Provides that a member is not entitled to compensation, except for reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing board-related duties. Authorizes the board to accept donations, gifts, grants, or other money for the purpose of this Act and requires the board to deposit them to the credit of the TEEP trust fund. SECTION 6. TEEP TRUST FUND. Establishes the TEEP trust fund outside the treasury to be held by the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company and administered by the board of the TEEP fund for the benefit of certain groups. Authorizes money in the fund to be used for certain awards and reimbursements. Provides that the trust fund consists of donations, gifts, and grants made available to the TEEP fund for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 7. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. Requires the board to adopt and publish eligibility criteria to be considered in making a grant or award of money from the fund. Requires the criteria adopted by the board to include consideration of whether a proposed project, activity, or program will serve a certain purpose with respect to environmental education and to give primary consideration to projects, activities, and programs that promote or include certain views or instruction with respect to environmental education. SECTION 8. SUNSET PROVISION. Provides that the TEEP fund is subject to Chapter 325 (Texas Sunset Act), Government Code and expires September 1, 2009, unless continued in existence as provided by that chapter. SECTION 9. APPOINTMENT OF BOARD. Requires the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives to appoint members to the board as provided by SECTION 5(a) of this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act. Provides that the initial members of the board are appointed for terms expiring February 1, 2001. SECTION 10.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.