BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 784

By: Ordaz

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, the El Paso County judge is authorized to delegate the authority to sign certain orders or other official documents to a county commissioner. This authority is more narrow in scope than the authority granted to the county judge of a county with a population of more than 1.5 million. In these counties, the county judge may delegate signing powers to administrators and other county officers. H.B. 784 seeks to make El Paso County government more efficient by allowing signing authority to be delegated to county officers or employees as is the case in these other large counties.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 784 amends the Local Government Code to include a chief administrator or another county officer or employee among the persons to whom the county judge of a county that has a population of more than 800,000 and is located on the international border may delegate the ability to sign orders or other official documents associated with the county judge's office. The bill authorizes the county judge to revoke or transfer this authority.

H.B. 784 authorizes the commissioners court of such a county by order to delegate managerial authority of the commissioners court to a county chief administrator. The delegating order must clearly indicate the specific managerial authority delegated to the administrator and, by subsequent order, the commissioners court may revoke or modify the delegated authority.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.