Bill Text: TX HB2819 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Comm Sub
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to improvement projects of the Sabine-Neches Navigation District of Jefferson County, Texas; providing authority to issue anticipation notes and time warrants.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Enrolled - Dead) 2015-05-28 - Effective immediately [HB2819 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB2819-Comm_Sub.html
Bill Title: Relating to improvement projects of the Sabine-Neches Navigation District of Jefferson County, Texas; providing authority to issue anticipation notes and time warrants.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Enrolled - Dead) 2015-05-28 - Effective immediately [HB2819 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB2819-Comm_Sub.html
By: Deshotel (Senate Sponsor - Creighton) | H.B. No. 2819 | |
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 13, 2015; | ||
May 13, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on | ||
Administration; May 14, 2015, reported favorably by the following | ||
vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 14, 2015, sent to printer.) | ||
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relating to improvement projects of the Sabine-Neches Navigation | ||
District of Jefferson County, Texas; providing authority to issue | ||
anticipation notes and time warrants. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 1472, Acts of the 77th Legislature, | ||
Regular Session, 2001, is amended by adding Section 6B to read as | ||
follows: | ||
Sec. 6B. WATERWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. (a) In this | ||
section: | ||
(1) "Improvement project" means the Sabine-Neches | ||
Waterway Improvement Project. | ||
(2) "Project sponsor" has the meaning assigned by the | ||
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (Pub. L. No. | ||
113-121). | ||
(b) The district is the project sponsor of the existing | ||
Sabine-Neches Waterway and the improvement project authorized by | ||
the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (Pub. L. No. | ||
113-121) to improve an existing facility of the district and deepen | ||
the Sabine-Neches Waterway. The district is also the nonfederal | ||
cost-sharing sponsor of the improvement project. The commission | ||
shall make a determination on matters that may be required or | ||
desirable as a project sponsor to implement the improvement | ||
project. | ||
(c) In the district's capacity as the project sponsor of the | ||
improvement project, the district is authorized to enter into any | ||
contract, agreement, including an economic development agreement, | ||
or lease as necessary or convenient to carry out any of the | ||
district's powers granted under this section. A contract, | ||
agreement, or lease, including any amendments to a contract, | ||
agreement, or lease, may provide any terms and conditions, and be | ||
for any term of years, as the commission determines are in the best | ||
interests of the district. The contract, agreement, or lease may be | ||
entered into with any person, political subdivision, or | ||
governmental agency, including the United States, the secretary of | ||
the army or the secretary of the army's designees, the Army Corps of | ||
Engineers, any local government, any county government, any special | ||
district or authority, any local government corporation, any | ||
transportation corporation, any tax increment reinvestment zone, | ||
the State of Texas, any agency of the State of Texas, and any other | ||
entity. The district is authorized to enter into contracts with a | ||
private entity to develop or operate any part of the improvement | ||
project under Chapter 2267, Government Code, and those contracts | ||
may provide that the private entity: | ||
(1) perform all or any part of the district's | ||
obligations under contracts or agreements with the United States; | ||
and | ||
(2) use revenue or other money from the improvement | ||
project to prepay for duties or tariffs, including duties or | ||
tariffs that may not be effective until the improvement project is | ||
partially or wholly completed, which may be credited against future | ||
duties or tariffs. | ||
(d) The district may enter into a contract, agreement, or | ||
lease under Section 49.108 or 60.120, Water Code, as determined by | ||
the commission. | ||
(e) The district is not required to obtain approval from the | ||
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the district's | ||
contracts or financing related to the improvement project. Any | ||
contracts or agreements of the district may be renewed or extended, | ||
and any time warrants or maintenance notes may be refunded in the | ||
manner provided by general law. | ||
(f) The district may provide that payments required by any | ||
of the district's contracts, agreements, or leases may be payable | ||
from the sale of notes, taxes, or bonds, or any combination of | ||
notes, taxes, or bonds, or may be secured by a lien on or a pledge of | ||
any available funds, including proceeds of the district's | ||
maintenance tax, and may be payable subject to annual appropriation | ||
by the district. Sections 26.04, 26.05, 26.07, and 26.012, Tax | ||
Code, do not apply to maintenance taxes levied and collected for | ||
payments under a contract, agreement, lease, time warrant, or | ||
maintenance note issued or executed under this section. | ||
(g) The district is authorized to borrow money, receive | ||
advances of funds, and enter into repayment agreements for the | ||
repayment of borrowed money or advances, and to issue anticipation | ||
notes, time warrants, and maintenance notes. The anticipation | ||
notes may be issued in accordance with Chapter 1431, Government | ||
Code, in the same manner as an eligible countywide district. Tax | ||
anticipation notes issued under this subsection may not exceed 75 | ||
percent of the revenue or taxes anticipated to be collected in that | ||
year and shall be payable during the district's current fiscal | ||
year. Time warrants and maintenance notes issued under this | ||
subsection may be issued to pay for any lawful expenditure of the | ||
district and shall be payable over a period not to exceed 35 years | ||
from the date of issuance. | ||
(h) The commission shall determine whether the amount of the | ||
district's maintenance taxes and other available resources | ||
required to pay the district's existing obligations is also | ||
sufficient to pay the debt service on any time warrants or | ||
maintenance notes issued under this section. In evaluating the tax | ||
rate, the commission may include in the district's budget an | ||
improvement project fund, which may be funded to assure that | ||
adequate funds are available to the district to comply with the | ||
district's covenants and obligations during future years when the | ||
amounts projected to be needed will exceed the then-current | ||
available maintenance tax funds. | ||
SECTION 2. (a) The legal notice of the intention to | ||
introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this | ||
Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a | ||
copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies, | ||
officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished | ||
under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313, | ||
Government Code. | ||
(b) The governor, one of the required recipients, has | ||
submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on | ||
Environmental Quality. | ||
(c) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed | ||
its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the | ||
lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of | ||
representatives within the required time. | ||
(d) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this | ||
state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect | ||
to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled | ||
and accomplished. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
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