73R1229 DWS-F
          By Oliveira                                            H.B. No. 315
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to a promotion and development fund of a navigation
    1-3  district.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Sections 60.201 and 60.202, Water Code, are
    1-6  amended to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 60.201.  PURPOSE.  Districts in this state <which
    1-8  include cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants and> which operate
    1-9  ports or waterways and harbor and terminal facilities are in keen
   1-10  competition with other ports, waterways, harbors, and terminals
   1-11  outside the state and with privately owned port and terminal
   1-12  facilities inside the state.  Well-situated and well-equipped ports
   1-13  and waterways in other nearby states and owners of substantial port
   1-14  and terminal facilities located inside and outside the state are
   1-15  advertising, promoting and developing their competing ports,
   1-16  waterways, harbors, and terminals through expenditure of large
   1-17  amounts of money without any audit or restriction on expenditure of
   1-18  the money.  This activity or expenditure is thwarting and impeding
   1-19  the use, progress, and development of the ports, waterways,
   1-20  harbors, and terminals of this state.  Continuation of this
   1-21  hardship and injustice can best be met and coped with by more
   1-22  liberal use of some relatively small fund set aside from the gross
   1-23  income from operations of the ports of this state to be used in the
   1-24  manner provided in this subchapter.
    2-1        Sec. 60.202.  CREATION OF FUND.  A district organized under
    2-2  general or special law <and containing a city of 100,000 or more
    2-3  population, according to the last preceding federal census,> may
    2-4  set aside out of current income from its operations a promotion and
    2-5  development fund of not more than five percent of its gross income
    2-6  from operations in each calendar year.
    2-7        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-8  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-9  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-10  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-11  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-12  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-13  passage, and it is so enacted.