Sec. 449.052. GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF COMMISSION. (a) The commission shall:

(1) provide advice and assistance to public and private primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education in this state regarding implementation of Holocaust and genocide courses of study and awareness programs;

(2) meet with appropriate representatives of public and private organizations, including service organizations, to provide information on and to assist in planning, coordinating, or modifying Holocaust and genocide courses of study and awareness programs;

(3) determine which, if any, existing Holocaust or other genocide memorials, exhibits, or other resources could be included in or used to support Holocaust and genocide courses of study and awareness programs;

(4) compile a list of volunteers, such as Holocaust or other genocide survivors, liberators of concentration camps, scholars, and members of the clergy, who have agreed to share, in classrooms, seminars, exhibits, or workshops, their verifiable knowledge and experiences regarding the Holocaust or other genocide;

(5) coordinate events in this state memorializing the Holocaust and other genocides on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the Days of Remembrance established by the United States Congress, or on any other day designated by the commission for that purpose; and

(6) solicit volunteers to participate in commemorative events designed to enhance public awareness of the continuing significance of the Holocaust and other genocides.

(b) In implementing Subsection (a)(3), the commission may contact and cooperate with:

(1) existing public or private Holocaust or other genocide resource organizations, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum;

(2) other museums, centers, and organizations based in this state;

(3) state agencies that carry out the educational functions of the state delegated under the Education Code, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; and

(4) members of the United States Congress and of the legislature of this state.

(c) The commission shall adopt rules as necessary for its own procedures.

(d) The commission may appoint advisory committees to advise the commission.

(e) The commission may provide matching grants to assist in the implementation of the commission's goals and objectives.

Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1352 (S.B. 482), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.

Amended by:

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 209 (S.B. 247), Sec. 1, eff. June 8, 2011.