H.B. No. 2549
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the authority of a state employee to authorize a
  deduction from the employee's salary or wage payment for a
  charitable contribution to certain entities.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subtitle D, Title 4, Government Code, is amended
  by adding Chapter 450 to read as follows:
  CHAPTER 450. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO ADVANCE THE TEACHING OF TEXAS
  HISTORY
         Sec. 450.001.  APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER. In this chapter
  "charitable historical organization" means an entity that:
               (1)  is organized as a nonprofit organization;
               (2)  has its main office at an institution of higher
  education, as that term is defined under Section 61.003, Education
  Code; and
               (3)  maintains an established educational department
  that provides:
                     (A)  opportunities for students in this state to
  study and work to preserve the history, heritage, and symbols of
  this state; and
                     (B)  training and resources to assist educators in
  developing effective strategies to teach students about the
  heritage, history, and symbols of this state.
         Sec. 450.002.  FUNDING. For the purposes of Subchapter I,
  Chapter 659:
               (1)  a charitable historical organization is
  considered an eligible charitable organization entitled to
  participate in a state employee charitable campaign; and
               (2)  a state employee is entitled to authorize a
  deduction for contributions to a charitable historical
  organization as a charitable contribution under Section 659.132,
  and the organization may use the contributions for the purpose of
  administering and providing educational outreach programs
  established by the organization.
         SECTION 2.  Sections 659.140 and 659.134, Government Code,
  are amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 659.140.  STATE EMPLOYEE CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN POLICY
  COMMITTEE. (a) The state employee charitable campaign policy
  committee shall consist [consists] of 13 [not more than 10]
  members.
         (b)  The governor with the advice and consent of the senate
  shall [may] appoint four members who are state employees at the time
  of their appointment and three members who are retired state
  employees receiving benefits under Chapter 814 [not more than four
  members]. The lieutenant governor and the comptroller may appoint
  not more than three members each. An appointment to the committee
  shall be made without regard to the race, color, disability, sex,
  religion, age, or national origin of the appointee. The state
  policy committee shall elect a chairman biennially from its own
  membership.
         (c)  A [Each] member of the state policy committee may not
  receive compensation for serving on the committee and is not
  entitled to reimbursement from state funds for expenses incurred in
  performing functions as a member of the committee [must be a state
  employee]. The membership must represent employees at different
  levels of employee classification.
         (d)  A person may not be a member of the committee if the
  person or the person's spouse is employed by or participates in the
  management or sits on the board of any entity or organization
  including any federation or fund that receives money through the
  state employee charitable campaign [Appointments shall be made to
  the state policy committee to ensure that the committee reflects
  the race, ethnicity, and national origin of the residents of this
  state].
         (e)  The state policy committee shall:
               (1)  establish local campaign areas based on
  recommendations by the state advisory committee;
               (2)  select as the state campaign manager:
                     (A)  a federated community campaign organization;
  or
                     (B)  [in the absence of an application by an
  organization described by Paragraph (A),] a charitable
  organization determined by the state policy committee to have
  demonstrated the capacity to conduct a state campaign;
               (3)  determine the eligibility of a federation or fund
  and its affiliated agencies for statewide participation in the
  state employee charitable campaign;
               (4)  approve the recommended campaign plan, budget, and
  generic materials to be used by campaign managers;
               (5)  oversee the state employee charitable campaign to
  ensure that all campaign activities are conducted fairly and
  equitably to promote unified solicitation on behalf of all
  participants; and
               (6)  perform other duties prescribed by the
  comptroller's rules.
         (f)  The state employee charitable campaign policy committee
  is subject to the open meetings law, Chapter 551, Government Code.
         (g)  The state employee charitable campaign policy committee
  is subject to the public information law, Chapter 552, Government
  Code.
         (h)  Any contract entered into under Chapter 659, Subchapter
  I must require the contracting vendor, institution, individual,
  corporation, or other business or charitable entity to provide all
  information maintained by the entity related to the expenditure of
  public funds to the state employee charitable campaign policy
  committee upon request.
         (i)  The state employee charitable campaign policy committee
  is subject to the Texas Sunset Act. Unless continued in existence
  as provided by that chapter, the committee is abolished and
  Government Code Chapter 659, Subchapter I, and Sections 814.0095
  and 814.0096 expire on September 1, 2013.
         Sec. 659.134.  DESIGNATION OF AN ELIGIBLE CHARITABLE
  ORGANIZATION.  (a)  A state employee or retired state employee
  receiving benefits under Chapter 814 who chooses to make a
  deduction must [may] designate in the authorization an eligible
  charitable organization to receive the deductions.
         [(b)     If a state employee does not designate an eligible
  charitable organization, the employee's deductions shall be
  distributed to each participating federation or fund and eligible
  local charitable organization in the proportion that the deductions
  designated for that charitable organization bear to the total of
  designated deductions in the local state employee charitable
  campaign.]
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2549 was passed by the House on May 5,
  2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 146, Nays 0, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 2549 on May 27, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 137, Nays 0,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2549 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 25, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0
  .
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor