HBA-KDB H.B. 3590 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3590 By: Hunter Higher Education 7/18/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The National Geographic Society (society) has offered to establish an endowment fund to support geography education in Texas. While the society will maintain control of the endowment, an advisory committee for each state has to be established to make funding recommendations. House Bill 3590 establishes the Texas Fund for Geography Education under the auspices of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and creates a seven-member advisory committee to propose funding recommendations to support geographic education programs. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 3590 amends the Education Code to establish the Texas Fund for Geography Education (fund). The purpose of the fund is to create an endowment to support geographic education programs in Texas, improve the quality of geography education in Texas, and promote a better understanding of Texas by all of its citizens. The bill authorizes the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to enter into an agreement with the National Geographic Society of Washington, D.C., (society) to operate the fund. The agreement must include the following conditions: appropriated money is authorized to be deposited to the fund only in an amount equal to matching funds deposited to the fund by the society from other sources; the society is required to provide to THECB an annual report describing the fund's investments, earnings, operating procedures, and major programs; and in the event that THECB determines that the public purposes of the fund are not being accomplished, the fund is required to be dissolved. If the fund is dissolved, the bill requires one-half of the fund balance to be distributed to the general revenue fund and the remainder of the fund balance to be returned to the donors of any amount deposited to the fund for the preceding five years in proportion to the amount of the donation, if the donor accepts the return of the donation. Any remainder of the fund balance is required to go to the society. The bill authorizes THECB to transfer to the society for deposit to the fund any amounts appropriated to THECB for that purpose. The bill requires the society to award grants from the fund to public and private or independent institutions of higher education to promote the purposes of the fund. The bill requires THECB to appoint an advisory committee consisting of seven persons who have expertise and an interest in geography education to assist the society in awarding grants from the fund. The bill requires the advisory committee on behalf of the society to solicit proposals from public and private or independent institutions of higher education for use of proceeds from the fund and to recommend to THECB those that best meet the purposes of the fund. The advisory committee is subject to provisions relating to state agency advisory committees. The bill requires THECB, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, to report to the governor and the legislature the value of the fund and the membership of the advisory committee, a summary of each project supported by a grant of the fund during the preceding state fiscal biennium, and other information THECB considers appropriate. EFFECTIVE DATE June 14, 2001.