Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

________________________________ BUDGET
77 th Texas Legislature
• Appropriates $5,442,000 to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) from
the Low-Level Radioactive Waste account for FY 2001. (This appropriation would be offset by a
transfer of an equal amount of general revenue fund appropriation from TNRCC to the Department
of Criminal Justice for 2001.)
• Authorizes the Texas Department of Transportation to transfer $50,000,000 in FY 2001
appropriations from construction to fund planning and design contracts.
• Transfers $1,000,000 in 2001 appropriation authority from the Office of Court Administration to the
Department of Protective and Regulatory Services for a higher than expected caseload.
• Authorizes the Texas Department of Economic Development to spend $4,000,000 of its existing
Smart Jobs Fund appropriation for awarding grants to communities in the state in connection with
the creation of qualified defense-related jobs.
Appropriates a total of $66,889,231 from the General Revenue Fund for FY 2002 as follows:
• $2,781,375 to the Office of the Governor for the purposes for which the Criminal Justice Planning
Account may be appropriated;
• $13,000,000 to the Office of the Governor for the purpose of making emergency and deficiency
grants and disaster grants;
• $39,000,000 to Higher Education Coordinating Board for Texas Excellence, Access and Success
grants;
• $1,000,000 to the Texas Historical Commission;
• $6,500,000 to the State Preservation Board;
• $4,490,000 to the General Services Commission; and
• $118,231 to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.
Allocation of Certain Settlement Money Awarded to the State - H.B. 2065
by Representative Eiland
Senate Sponsor: Senator Ellis
Currently, it is not clear in statute whether the attorney general has the authority to appropriate settlement
money for a specific purpose other than general revenue.
Authorizes the attorney general to certify to the comptroller of public accounts (comptroller) and the
Legislative Budget Board (LBB) that money awarded to the state to settle a claim is money to be credited to
an account kept by the comptroller for a particular appropriation if it is not clear to which account the money
should be credited under current law.
Requires the comptroller to act in accordance with the certification received within certain timeframes.
Senate Research Center 31