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        |  | AN ACT | 
      
        |  | relating to the election of certain county bail bond board members. | 
      
        |  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
        |  | SECTION 1.  Section 1704.0535, Occupations Code, is amended | 
      
        |  | to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | Sec. 1704.0535.  ELECTION OF CERTAIN BAIL BOND [ SURETY] | 
      
        |  | BOARD MEMBERS [ MEMBER].  (a)  The board shall annually conduct a | 
      
        |  | secret ballot election to elect the members [ member] of the board | 
      
        |  | who serve [ serves] as the representative of licensed bail bond | 
      
        |  | sureties and the representative of the criminal defense attorneys | 
      
        |  | by electing: | 
      
        |  | (1)  a licensed bail bond surety or agent for a | 
      
        |  | corporate surety board member; and | 
      
        |  | (2)  a criminal defense attorney who is practicing in | 
      
        |  | the county. | 
      
        |  | (b)  Each individual licensed in the county as a bail bond | 
      
        |  | surety or agent for a corporate surety is entitled to cast one vote | 
      
        |  | for each license held to elect the board member who is a surety or | 
      
        |  | agent for a corporate surety. | 
      
        |  | (c)  Each attorney who has a principal place of business | 
      
        |  | located in the county and who is not legally prohibited from | 
      
        |  | representing criminal defendants in the county is entitled to cast | 
      
        |  | one vote to elect the board member who is a criminal defense | 
      
        |  | attorney. | 
      
        |  | (d)  Each elected justice of the peace in the county who is | 
      
        |  | not legally prohibited from voting in an election for the purpose is | 
      
        |  | entitled to cast one vote to elect the board member who is a justice | 
      
        |  | of the peace. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act regarding the | 
      
        |  | election of certain county bail bond board members do not affect the | 
      
        |  | entitlement of a member serving on a board immediately before the | 
      
        |  | effective date of this Act to continue to serve and function as a | 
      
        |  | member of the board for the remainder of the member's term.  Those | 
      
        |  | changes in law apply only to a member elected on or after the | 
      
        |  | effective date of this Act. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | 
      
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        |  | ______________________________ | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | 
      
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        |  | I certify that H.B. No. 2894 was passed by the House on May | 
      
        |  | 12, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 139, Nays 3, 2 present, not | 
      
        |  | voting. | 
      
        |  |  | 
      
        |  | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | Chief Clerk of the House | 
      
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        |  | I certify that H.B. No. 2894 was passed by the Senate on May | 
      
        |  | 15, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0. | 
      
        |  |  | 
      
        |  | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | Secretary of the Senate | 
      
        |  | APPROVED:  _____________________ | 
      
        |  | Date | 
      
        |  |  | 
      
        |  | _____________________ | 
      
        |  | Governor |