86R1634 JJT-D
 
  By: Nelson S.B. No. 69
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the authority of the comptroller regarding the
  management of the general revenue fund and the economic
  stabilization fund.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  The heading to Subchapter H, Chapter 316,
  Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER H. ALLOCATION OF TRANSFERS TO [PRESERVATION OF
  SUFFICIENT BALANCE IN] ECONOMIC STABILIZATION FUND AND STATE
  HIGHWAY FUND
         SECTION 2.  Sections 316.092 and 316.093, Government Code,
  are amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 316.092.  DETERMINATION OF THRESHOLD FOR
  CONSTITUTIONAL TRANSFER TO STATE HIGHWAY [SUFFICIENT] FUND
  [BALANCE]. (a) [Not later than September 1 of each even-numbered
  year preceding the year in which this section expires as provided by
  Subsection (e), the speaker of the house of representatives and the
  lieutenant governor shall appoint a select committee as follows:
               [(1)     the speaker of the house of representatives shall
  appoint five members of the house of representatives as members of
  the committee; and
               [(2)     the lieutenant governor shall appoint five
  members of the senate as members of the committee.
         [(b)]  For the purposes of adjusting the allocations of
  transfers in accordance with Section 49-g(c-2), Article III, Texas
  Constitution, and Section 316.093, not later than December 1 of
  each even-numbered year preceding the year in which this section
  expires [as provided by Subsection (e)], the comptroller [select
  committee] shall determine and adopt for the next state fiscal
  biennium an amount equal to seven one-hundredths of the most recent
  estimate of anticipated revenue made under Section 49a(a), Article
  III, Texas Constitution [a sufficient balance of the fund in an
  amount that the committee estimates will ensure an appropriate
  amount of revenue available in the fund.     In determining the
  sufficient balance for that fiscal biennium, the committee shall
  consider:
               [(1)  the history of fund balances;
               [(2)  the history of transfers to the fund;
               [(3)     estimated fund balances during that fiscal
  biennium;
               [(4)     estimated transfers to the fund to occur during
  that fiscal biennium;
               [(5)     information available to the committee regarding
  state highway congestion and funding demands; and
               [(6)     any other information requested by the committee
  regarding the state's financial condition].
         [(c)     On or before October 1 of each even-numbered year
  preceding the year in which this section expires as provided by
  Subsection (e), the comptroller shall provide to the select
  committee the comptroller's projection of the amounts to be
  transferred to the fund during the next state fiscal biennium.
         [(d)     When the select committee has adopted under Subsection
  (b) the amount of the sufficient balance of the fund for a state
  fiscal biennium, the matter of approving that amount shall be
  presented to each house of the legislature in a concurrent
  resolution during the next succeeding regular legislative
  session.     The resolution must be presented for a vote in each house
  of the legislature not later than the 30th day of that legislative
  session, must be approved by a vote of a majority of the members of
  each house, and must be finally approved by each house not later
  than the 45th day of that legislative session.     If a resolution
  finally approved under this subsection is amended during the
  legislative process to provide for a different sufficient balance
  of the fund than that adopted under Subsection (b), that different
  balance is the sufficient balance adopted under this section for
  purposes of Section 316.093.     If a resolution finally approved
  under this subsection does not provide for a different sufficient
  balance of the fund or if a resolution is not finally approved as
  provided by this subsection, the sufficient balance adopted under
  Subsection (b) is the sufficient balance adopted under this section
  for purposes of Section 316.093.]
         (b) [(e)]  This section expires December 31, 2024.
         Sec. 316.093.  ADJUSTMENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL ALLOCATIONS TO
  FUND AND STATE HIGHWAY FUND. (a) Before the comptroller makes
  transfers for a state fiscal year in accordance with Section
  49-g(c), Article III, Texas Constitution, the comptroller shall
  determine whether the sum of the balance of the fund on the
  preceding August 31, any projected transfer to the fund under
  Section 49-g(b) of that article, and any projected transfer to the
  fund under Section 49-g(c) of that article in accordance with the
  allocations for the transfer as provided by Section 49-g(c-1) of
  that article is less than the amount determined under [sufficient
  balance adopted under] Section 316.092 for that state fiscal
  biennium.
         (b)  If the sum described by Subsection (a) is less than the
  amount determined under [sufficient balance adopted under] Section
  316.092 for that state fiscal biennium, the comptroller shall
  reduce the allocation to the state highway fund provided by Section
  49-g(c), Article III, Texas Constitution, and increase the
  allocation to the economic stabilization fund, in an equal amount,
  until the amount determined under [sufficient balance adopted
  under] Section 316.092 for that state fiscal biennium would be [is]
  achieved by the transfer to the fund or the total amount of the sum
  described by Section 49-g(c), Article III, Texas Constitution, is
  allocated to the fund, whichever occurs first.
         (c)  [If under Section 316.092 a sufficient balance has not
  been adopted for the comptroller to consider under this section,
  the comptroller shall adjust the allocation of amounts to be
  transferred to the fund and to the state highway fund provided by
  Section 49-g(c), Article III, Texas Constitution, so that the total
  of those amounts is transferred to the economic stabilization fund,
  except that the comptroller shall reduce a transfer made under this
  subsection as necessary to prevent the amount in the fund from
  exceeding the limit in effect for that biennium under Section
  49-g(g) of that article.
         [(e)]  For the purposes of Section 49-g(c-2), Article III,
  Texas Constitution, the comptroller shall adjust the allocation
  provided by Section 49-g(c-1) of that article of amounts to be
  transferred to the fund and to the state highway fund under Section
  49-g(c) of that article in a state fiscal year beginning on or after
  September 1, 2025, so that the total of those amounts is transferred
  to the economic stabilization fund, except that the comptroller
  shall reduce a transfer made under this subsection as necessary to
  prevent the amount in the fund from exceeding the limit in effect
  for that biennium under Section 49-g(g) of that article.
         (d) [(f)]  Subsections (a) and [,] (b) [, and (c)] and this
  subsection expire December 31, 2024.
         SECTION 3.  Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 403.0125 to read as follows:
         Sec. 403.0125.  FEDERAL MONEY DEPOSITED TO TREASURY. (a)
  The comptroller may not deposit to the credit of the general revenue
  fund money received from the federal government or accrued interest
  or other earnings on money received from the federal government.
  The comptroller shall account for and administer federal money
  separately from money in the general revenue fund in a manner that
  ensures federal money and earnings on federal money are used for the
  purposes for which federal money is received.
         (b)  To facilitate the administration of federal money under
  this section or other law, the comptroller may:
               (1)  designate or create a fund or account in the
  treasury for the deposit of federal money and any interest or other
  earnings on the federal money;
               (2)  merge, consolidate, or segregate funds or accounts
  or money deposited to funds or accounts; or
               (3)  abolish a fund, or an account in the general
  revenue fund, to which federal money has been deposited in
  accordance with other law.
         (c)  This section prevails over other general law that
  provides for money received from the federal government, or
  earnings on money received from the federal government, to be
  deposited to the credit of the general revenue fund or to the credit
  of an account in the general revenue fund. To the extent of any
  other conflict between this section and other law, this section
  controls.
         SECTION 4.  Section 404.0241, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 404.0241.  INVESTMENT OF CERTAIN ECONOMIC
  STABILIZATION FUND BALANCES. (a)  The comptroller may [shall]
  invest a percentage of the balance of the economic stabilization
  fund in an investment portfolio managed [balance in a state fiscal
  biennium that exceeds the amount of the sufficient balance of the
  fund adopted under Section 316.092 for that biennium] in accordance
  with the investment standard described by Section 404.024(j). The
  comptroller's investment of that percentage of the fund [excess]
  balance is not subject to any other limitation or other requirement
  provided by Section 404.024.
         (b)  The balance of the investment portfolio may not exceed
  three-quarters of the balance of the economic stabilization fund.
         (c)  The comptroller shall adjust the investment portfolio
  [of economic stabilization fund money] periodically as necessary to
  ensure that:
               (1)  at all times at least one-quarter of the balance of
  the economic stabilization fund is invested in a manner that
  ensures the liquidity of that amount; and
               (2)  the balance of the economic stabilization fund is
  sufficient to meet the cash flow requirements of the fund.
         (d)  The comptroller may transfer to the credit of the
  endowment principal account of the state endowment fund any part of
  the accrued earnings attributable to the investment portfolio.
         (e)  [(c)]  The comptroller shall include the fair market
  value of the investment portfolio of the economic stabilization
  fund in calculating the amount in the fund for purposes of Section
  49-g(g), Article III, Texas Constitution, and Section 316.093 of
  this code.
         [(d)     This section expires on the date Section 316.092
  expires.]
         SECTION 5.  Subchapter C, Chapter 404, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 404.0242 to read as follows:
         Sec. 404.0242.  STATE ENDOWMENT FUND. (a) The state
  endowment fund is a special fund in the state treasury outside the
  general revenue fund that consists of principal deposited or
  transferred to the credit of the fund in accordance with law and the
  accrued earnings on the balance of the fund.
         (b)  The comptroller shall maintain the principal of the fund
  in an endowment principal account and the accrued earnings in an
  accrued earnings account.
         (c)  Money deposited or transferred to the credit of the
  endowment principal account may not be appropriated for any
  purpose.
         (d)  Accrued earnings on the fund's principal maintained in
  the accrued earnings account and the accrued earnings on the
  balance of that account may be appropriated for any general
  governmental purpose.
         (e)  The comptroller may invest all or any part of the
  balance of the endowment principal account or the accrued earnings
  account in accordance with the investment standard described by
  Section 404.024(j).  The comptroller's investment of those amounts
  is not subject to any other limitation or other requirement
  provided by Section 404.024.
         SECTION 6.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
  section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
         (b)  Section 404.0241(d), Government Code, as added by this
  Act, takes effect January 1, 2020, but only if the constitutional
  amendment proposed by the 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019,
  to authorize the legislature to provide for a transfer of economic
  stabilization fund investment earnings to a special endowment fund
  in the state treasury is approved by the voters.  If that amendment
  is not approved by the voters, Section 404.0241(d), Government
  Code, as added by this Act, has no effect.