Texas. State Building Commission

The Texas State Building Commission was created in 1954 by adoption of a constitutional amendment (Texas Constitution, Article III, Section 51-b; Senate Joint Resolution 10, 53rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1953) and enacted through Senate Bill 134, 54th Legislature, Regular Session, 1955. The commission, composed of the governor, attorney general, and chair of the Board of Control, appointed an executive director to oversee the agency.

Responsibilities of the Building Commission included planning and constructing new state buildings and remodeling existing ones, arranging for the acquisition of new building sites, and erecting certain monuments and historical memorials in cooperation with the Texas State Historical Survey Committee. The commission did not supervise building projects for the Department of Highways and Transportation, institutions of higher learning, the Board of Corrections, Youth Council, or Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

The Legislature authorized the Building Commission to acquire historic and prehistoric sites in 1963 (Senate Bill 239, 58th Legislature, Regular Session), and in 1965 provided an appropriation to the commission for an archeologist. In 1969 the office of the State Archeologist was transferred to the Texas State Historical Survey Committee (Senate Bill 322, 61st Legislature, Regular Session).

In 1965 with passage of the State Building Construction Administration Act (House Bill 37, 59th Legislature, Regular Session), the duties of the Engineering Section of the Building Engineering and Management Division of the State Board of Control and the Design and Construction Division of the Board for Texas State Hospitals and Special Schools were transferred to the Building Commission. Responsibilities which were added included the orderly planning of buildings constructed by the state, inspecting construction in progress, and projecting building-program requirements and estimates of costs of proposed projects before legislative appropriations.

The commission became responsible for regulating standards and specifications to make public buildings handicapped accessible effective January 1, 1970 (Senate Bill 111, 61st Legislature, Regular Session). In 1975 the Energy Conservation in Buildings Act (Senate Bill 516, 64th Legislature, Regular Session) required the commission to work with the Governor's Energy Advisory Council to develop building design standards and model local building codes that would reduce energy consumption.

During its life span, the commission was responsible for the construction of several state office buildings including the State Archives and Library Building and the Supreme Court Building. Effective September 1, 1977 the legislature transferred the State Building Commission's duties to the Board of Control, and the commission was abolished by voters in November 1978 (Senate Bill 759, 65th Legislature, Regular Session, 1977; Senate Joint Resolution 48, 65th Legislature, Regular Session, 1977).

From the guide to the Capitol area property appraisals and value analyses, 1956-1957, 1973, 1975, (Repository Unknown)

The Texas State Building Commission was created by an amendment to the Texas Constitution, Article III, Section 51-b, approved by the voters in 1954 and enacted by the 54th Legislature in Senate Bill 134. The commission was composed of the Governor, Attorney General, and Chairman of the Board of Control. Its purpose was to arrange for the acquisition of all state building sites, to plan and construct all new state buildings, and to modernize and remodel old state buildings. The constitutional amendment creating the commission created a state building fund by transferring all money from the Confederate Pension Fund except that needed to pay Confederate pensions. The building fund was also supported by a state ad valorem tax. From 1955 to 1965, the commission was engaged primarily in the acquisition of land in Austin around the Capitol area and the supervision of state building construction as envisioned in the Capitol Area Master Plan. In 1965, the 59th Legislature enacted the State Building Construction Administration Act, giving the Commission broader responsibility in the acquisition of building sites and planning, design, and construction of state buildings. The Commission supervised state planning and inspection for building projects for all state agencies except the Highway Department, institutions of higher learning, the Board of Corrections, the Texas Youth Council, and the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. In 1970, the commission was assigned the additional duty of ensuring access for the handicapped to public buildings.

The 65th Legislature proposed the abolishment of the Building Commission in Senate Bill 759 and in 1978 voters repealed the constitutional amendment that created the commission. The powers and duties of the commission were taken over by the Board of Control, which was renamed the State Purchasing and General Services Commission in 1979.

From the guide to the Records on monuments, 1955-1963, (Repository Unknown)

Following its creation after a constitutional amendment in 1954, the Texas State Building Commission consisted of the governor, attorney general, and the chairman of the Board of Control. The commission designed, built, and remodeled state buildings, while also erecting historical memorials and monuments. Additionally, it sponsored an archaeology program to recover prehistoric data and artifacts. Five years after the Fifty-ninth Legislature instated the State Building Construction Administration Act in 1965 to better manage the construction and cost of new buildings, the Sixty-first Legislature ratified another act requiring the commission to ensure handicap accessibility. In 1977, the state legislature eliminated the commission, transferring its responsibilities to the Board of Control, later renamed the State Purchasing and General Services Commission.

Source:

Bible, Phil. State Building Commission. Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed April 29, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mds08 .

From the guide to the Texas State Building Commission Records 69-120., 1968, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

Following its creation after a constitutional amendment in 1954, the Texas State Building Commission consisted of the governor, attorney general, and the chairman of the Board of Control.

The commission designed, built, and remodeled state buildings, while also erecting historical memorials and monuments. Additionally, it sponsored an archaeology program to recover prehistoric data and artifacts. Five years after the Fifty-ninth Legislature instated the State Building Construction Administration Act in 1965 to better manage the construction and cost of new buildings, the Sixty-first Legislature ratified another act requiring the commission to ensure handicap accessibility. In 1977, the state legislature eliminated the commission, transferring its responsibilities to the Board of Control, later renamed the State Purchasing and General Services Commission.

From the description of Texas State Building Commission Records, 1968 (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 774023466