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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the election of the board of directors of the San |
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Jacinto River Authority. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 6, Chapter 426, Acts of the 45th |
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Legislature, Regular Session, 1937, is amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 6. (a) The management and control of all the affairs |
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of said District shall be vested in, and the powers, rights, |
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privileges, and functions of the District shall be exercised by, a |
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Board of Directors consisting of seven [six (6)] members, all of |
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whom shall be freehold property taxpayers and legal voters of the |
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State of Texas [and four (4) of whom shall be residents of a county |
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wholly encompassed by the District]. |
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(b) Members of the [such] Board of Directors shall be |
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elected at large by voters in the District [appointed by the |
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Governor for terms of six (6) years. Provided, the present Board of |
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six (6) directors of said District, appointed by the State Board of |
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Water Engineers under authority of House Bill No. 1094, Chapter |
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613, Acts of the Regular Session of the Forty-seventh Legislature, |
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amending Section 6 of Chapter 426, Acts of the Regular Session of |
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the Forty-fifth Legislature, as amended by House Bill No. 828, |
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Chapter 480, Acts of the Regular Session of the Forty-seventh |
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Legislature, for terms of two (2), four (4), and six (6) years, |
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shall continue to serve as such until the expiration of the |
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respective terms for which they were appointed. Upon the |
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expiration of the terms for which the present members of the Board |
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of Directors were appointed, the successors of each and all of them |
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shall be appointed by the Governor for a term of six (6) years]. |
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(c) The Directors shall hold office after their election |
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[appointment] and qualification until their successors shall be |
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elected [appointed] and qualified. [Should any vacancy occur in |
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the Board of Directors, the same shall be filled in like manner by |
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the Governor for the unexpired term.] The Directors [appointed] |
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shall, within thirty (30) days after their election [appointment], |
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qualify by taking the official oath required of County |
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Commissioners, and shall execute bond in the sum of Five Thousand |
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Dollars ($5,000) payable to the District, the sufficiency of which |
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bond shall be determined by the Governor, which bonds after being |
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recorded in the official bond records of the county in which the |
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District maintains its office shall be deposited with the |
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depository selected and approved for the deposit of the funds of the |
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District. |
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(d) The Board of Directors shall organize by electing one of |
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its members President, one Vice-President, one Secretary, and one |
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Treasurer. Four (4) members, including the presiding officer, |
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shall constitute a quorum to transact business. The President |
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shall preside at all meetings of the Board and shall be the chief |
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executive officer of the District. The Vice-President shall act as |
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President in case of the absence or disability of the President. |
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The Secretary shall act as Secretary of the Board and shall be |
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charged with the duty of keeping a record of all proceedings and all |
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orders of the Board. The Treasurer shall receive and receipt for |
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all moneys received by the District and shall keep books and records |
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of all moneys received and expended. In case of the absence or |
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inability of the Secretary to act, a Secretary pro tem shall be |
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selected by the Directors. |
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(e) The domicile of the District shall be in the City of |
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Conroe, in the County of Montgomery, Texas, where the District |
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shall maintain its principal office. The Board of Directors shall |
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have authority to fix the time, place and number of meetings of such |
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Board by proper resolutions, regulations and bylaws passed by said |
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Board. Said Board shall cause to be kept complete and accurate |
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accounts conforming to approved methods of bookkeeping. Said |
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accounts and all contracts, documents, and records of the District |
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shall be kept at said principal office, and same shall be open to |
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public inspection at all reasonable times. |
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SECTION 2. Section 30.003(4), Water Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(4) "River authority" means any district or authority |
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created by the legislature which contains an area within its |
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boundaries of one or more counties and which is governed by a board |
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of directors appointed or designated in whole or in part by the |
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governor, or by the Texas Water Development Board. The term |
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includes[, including without limitation] the San Antonio River |
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Authority and the San Jacinto River Authority. |
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SECTION 3. (a) The San Jacinto River Authority shall hold |
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the first election to elect directors as described by Section 6, |
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Chapter 426, Acts of the 45th Legislature, Regular Session, 1937, |
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as amended by this Act, on the uniform election date in May 2024. |
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(b) The terms of the directors serving on the board of |
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directors of the San Jacinto River Authority on the effective date |
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of this Act expire on the date the directors elected under |
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Subsection (a) of this section have qualified. |
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(c) At the first meeting of the board of directors of the San |
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Jacinto River Authority that follows the election held under |
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Subsection (a) of this section, the directors shall draw lots to |
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determine which four directors serve a term of four years and which |
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three directors serve a term of two years. |
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SECTION 4. (a) The legal notice of the intention to |
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introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this |
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Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a |
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copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies, |
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officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished |
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under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313, |
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Government Code. |
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(b) The governor, one of the required recipients, has |
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submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on |
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Environmental Quality. |
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(c) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed |
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its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the |
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lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of |
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representatives within the required time. |
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(d) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this |
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state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect |
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to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled |
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and accomplished. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |