Tex. Const. art. 7, § 2 — Article 7 / Section 2
Texas Constitution Article 7, Section 2
Status: in_force

PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND. All funds, lands and other property heretofore set apart and appropriated for the support of public schools; all the alternate sections of land reserved by the State out of grants heretofore made or that may hereafter be made to railroads or other corporations of any nature whatsoever; one half of the public domain of the State; and all sums of money that may come to the State from the sale of any portion of the same, shall constitute a permanent school fund. (Feb. 15, 1876. Amended Nov. 8, 2011) Sec. 2A. RELEASE OF STATE CLAIM TO CERTAIN LANDS AND MINERALS WITHIN SHELBY, FRAZIER, AND MCCORMICK LEAGUE AND IN BASTROP COUNTY. (a) The State of Texas hereby relinquishes and releases any claim of sovereign ownership or title to an undivided one-third interest in and to the lands and minerals within the Shelby, Frazier, and McCormick League (now located in Fort Bend and Austin counties) arising out of the interest in that league originally granted under the Mexican Colonization Law of 1823 to John McCormick on or about July 24, 1824, and subsequently voided by the governing body of Austin's Original Colony on or about December 15, 1830. (b) The State of Texas relinquishes and releases any claim of sovereign ownership or title to an interest in and to the lands, excluding the minerals, in Tracts 2-5, 13, 15-17, 19-20, 23-26, 29-32, and 34-37, in the A. P. Nance Survey, Bastrop County, as said tracts are: (1) shown on Bastrop County Rolled Sketch No. 4, recorded in the General Land Office on December 15, 1999; and (2) further described by the field notes prepared by a licensed state land surveyor of Travis County in September through November 1999 and May 2000. (c) Title to such interest in the lands and minerals described by Subsection (a) is confirmed to the owners of the remaining interests in such lands and minerals. Title to the lands, excluding the minerals, described by Subsection (b) is confirmed to the holder of record title to each tract. Any outstanding land award or land payment obligation owed to the state for lands described by Subsection (b) is canceled, and any funds previously paid related to an outstanding land award or land payment obligation may not be refunded. (d) The General Land Office shall issue a patent to the holder of record title to each tract described by Subsection (b). The patent shall be issued in the same manner as other patents except that no filing fee or patent fee may be required. (e) A patent issued under Subsection (d) shall include a provision reserving all mineral interest in the land to the state. (f) This section is self-executing. (Added Nov. 2, 1993; amended Nov. 6, 2001.) Sec. 2B. AUTHORITY TO RELEASE STATE'S INTEREST IN CERTAIN PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND LAND HELD BY PERSON UNDER COLOR OF TITLE. (a) The legislature by law may provide for the release of all or part of the state's interest in land, excluding mineral rights, if: (1) the land is surveyed, unsold, permanent school fund land according to the records of the General Land Office; (2) the land is not patentable under the law in effect before January 1, 2002; and (3) the person claiming title to the land: (A) holds the land under color of title; (B) holds the land under a chain of title that originated on or before January 1, 1952; (C) acquired the land without actual knowledge that title to the land was vested in the State of Texas; (D) has a deed to the land recorded in the appropriate county; and (E) has paid all taxes assessed on the land and any interest and penalties associated with any period of tax delinquency. (b) This section does not apply to: (1) beach land, submerged or filled land, or islands; or (2) land that has been determined to be state-owned by judicial decree. (c) This section may not be used to: (1) resolve boundary disputes; or (2) change the mineral reservation in an existing patent. (Added Nov. 6, 2001; Subsec. (d) expired Jan. 2, 2002.) Sec. 2C. RELEASE OF STATE CLAIM TO CERTAIN LANDS IN UPSHUR AND SMITH COUNTIES. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, the State of Texas relinquishes and releases any claim of sovereign ownership or title to an interest in and to the tracts of land, including mineral rights, described as follows: Tract 1: The first tract of land is situated in Upshur County, Texas, about 14 miles South 30 degrees east from Gilmer, the county seat, and is bounded as follows: Bound on the North by the J. Manning Survey, A-314 the S.W. Beasley Survey A-66 and the David Meredith Survey A-315 and bound on the East by the M. Mann Survey, A-302 and by the M. Chandler Survey, A-84 and bound on the South by the G. W. Hooper Survey, A-657 and by the D. Ferguson Survey, A-158 and bound on the West by the J. R. Wadkins Survey, A-562 and the H. Alsup Survey, A-20, and by the W. Bratton Survey, A-57 and the G. H. Burroughs Survey, A-30 and the M. Tidwell Survey, A-498 of Upshur County, Texas. Tract 2: The second tract of land is situated in Smith County, Texas, north of Tyler and is bounded as follows: on the north and west by the S. Leeper A-559, the Frost Thorn Four League Grant A-3, A-9, A-7, A-19, and the H. Jacobs A-504 and on the south and east by the following surveys: John Carver A-247, A. Loverly A-609, J. Gimble A-408, R. Conner A-239, N.J. Blythe A-88, N.J. Blythe A-89, J. Choate A-195, Daniel Minor A-644, William Keys A-527, James H. Thomas A-971, Seaborn Smith A-899, and Samuel Leeper A-559. (b) This section does not apply to: (1) any public right-of-way, including a public road right-of-way, or related interest owned by a governmental entity; (2) any navigable waterway or related interest owned by a governmental entity; or (3) any land owned by a governmental entity and reserved for public use, including a park, recreation area, wildlife area, scientific area, or historic site. (c) This section is self-executing. (Added Nov. 8, 2005.)