AustinF1 Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 So what do you do if you're COTA/Epstein and you screwed the pooch on your application for $25M of free taxpayer subsidy money? Why of course you just flaunt the law, cry "Unfair!" when it's enforced, and then get a friendly legislator from way out in West Texas to introduce tailor-made stealth legislation, changing the law ... retroactively ... so it's like you never effed up in the first place. It seems COTA has pushed legislation that would retroactively allow them to collect the ~$25M they lost when they botched their 2018 F1 MERP application. HB 4008 would change the law, effective RETROACTIVELY, to cover COTA's ass on their own failure to comply with the law. By: Frullo, Moody, Cyrier, Krause, Rodriguez H.B. No. 4008 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 4008: By: Cyrier C.S.H.B. No. 4008 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to plans required to be submitted to be eligible to receive funding through the Major Events Reimbursement Program. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 5A, Chapter 1507 (S.B. 456), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session, 1999 (Article 5190.14, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by amending Subsection (a-1) and adding Subsection (a-5) to read as follows: (a-1) An event not listed in Subsection (a)(4) of this section is ineligible for funding under this section. A listed event may receive funding through the Major Events Reimbursement Program under this section only if: (1) a site selection organization selects a site located in this state for the event to be held one time or, for an event scheduled to be held each year for a period of years under an event contract, or an event support contract, one time each year for the period of years, after considering, through a highly competitive selection process, one or more sites that are not located in this state; (2) a site selection organization selects a site in this state as: (A) the sole site for the event; or (B) the sole site for the event in a region composed of this state and one or more adjoining states; (3) the event is held not more than one time in any year; (4) the amount of the incremental increase in tax receipts determined by the department under Subsection (b) of this section equals or exceeds $1 million, provided that for an event scheduled to be held each year for a period of years under an event contract or event support contract, the incremental increase in tax receipts shall be calculated as if the event did not occur in the prior year; and (5) not later than the 30th day before the first day of the event, a site selection organization or the organization hosting the event submits a plan to prevent the trafficking of persons in connection with the event to the office of the attorney general, the human trafficking prevention task force established under Section 402.035, Government Code, and the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.(a-5) If the department determines an event is ineligible to receive funding through the Major Events Reimbursement Program due solely to a failure to timely submit a plan as required by Subsection (a-1)(5) of this section, the event may receive funding through the program if: (1) the plan required by that subdivision is submitted to the required entities not later than seven days before the event begins and is implemented during the event; and (2) all other requirements for funding under this section, including those imposed by Subsections (d-1) and (w) of this section, are satisfied not later than the 60th day after the last day of the fiscal year in which the event occurs, provided submission of the plan required by Subsection (a-1)(5) of this section was not previously required under this section for that event. SECTION 2. This Act applies to an event that occurs before, on, or after the effective date of this Act. 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 on the 90th day after the last day of the legislative session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 A "friendly legislator from way out in West Texas" now has a nice campaign fund I bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinF1 Posted May 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 19 minutes ago, NickHolt said: A "friendly legislator from way out in West Texas" now has a nice campaign fund I bet. Indeed. This is like a Legislative Time Machine, where you just pay a fee to go back in time and change laws to fit your massive miscues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted May 10, 2019 Report Share Posted May 10, 2019 .. Friends in high places . JUST WRITE A CHECK .everything will be ok ..you and I are paying for it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promodified11 Posted May 11, 2019 Report Share Posted May 11, 2019 Man I miss Tavo this could have been so much better.What a cluster *&%$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted May 12, 2019 Report Share Posted May 12, 2019 Tavo had the plan, had the brains, had the kno-whow. Unfortunately, he needed financial backing and, well, we all know the rest of the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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