HBA-CMT H.B. 310 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 310 By: Flores State, Federal & International Relations 7/18/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 2001, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was financing 100 percent of the development costs of veterans cemeteries that were state owned and operated. However, it takes state dollars to provide funding for the acquisition of land and for the care of the cemeteries once they are established. House Bill 310 authorizes the Veterans Land Board to establish a program for providing financial assistance for the establishment of veterans cemeteries. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Veterans Land Board in SECTION 4 (Section 164.004, Natural Resources Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 310 amends the Natural Resources Code to provide that the Veterans Land Board (board) may establish a program to provide financial assistance for the establishment of veterans cemeteries. The bill requires the board to adopt rules providing for the administration of its financial assistance programs for the veterans cemeteries. The bill requires the board, the chairman of the Texas Veterans Commission, and two representatives of the veterans community selected by the chairman of the Texas Veterans Commission to establish the guidelines for determining the location, the size of veterans cemeteries and the eligibility for burial in a veterans cemetery, and select up to seven locations across the state for veterans cemeteries. The bill prohibits the board from spending more than $7 million each fiscal year of the funds available to the board in veterans' land fund, the veterans' housing assistance fund, and the veterans' housing assistance fund II to plan and design, operate, maintain, enlarge, or improve veterans cemeteries. The board is prohibited from using funds from the veterans' land fund, the veterans' housing assistance fund, or the veterans' housing assistance fund II to acquire land to be used for a veterans cemetery. EFFECTIVE DATE Effective on adoption of Constitutional amendment.