By:  Turner, S.                                        H.B. No. 663
       73R3299 DWS-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the filling of vacancies on the governing bodies of
    1-3  certain municipalities.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 26, Local Government Code,
    1-6  is amended by adding Section 26.045 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 26.045.  FILLING VACANCY ON GOVERNING BODY OF
    1-8  MUNICIPALITY WITH POPULATION OF 1.5 MILLION OR MORE.  If a vacancy
    1-9  occurs on the governing body of a municipality with a population of
   1-10  1.5 million or more and more than 270 days remain before the date
   1-11  of the next general election of members of the governing body, the
   1-12  governing body shall order a special election in the district in
   1-13  which the vacancy occurred, or in the entire municipality if the
   1-14  vacancy occurred in an at-large position, to fill the vacancy.  The
   1-15  special election shall be held on an authorized uniform election
   1-16  date prescribed by the Election Code that occurs before the general
   1-17  election and that allows enough time to hold the election in the
   1-18  manner required by law and shall be conducted in the same manner as
   1-19  the municipality's general election except as provided by
   1-20  provisions of the Election Code applicable to special elections to
   1-21  fill vacancies.
   1-22        SECTION 2.  Section 26.044(j), Local Government Code, is
   1-23  repealed.
   1-24        SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
    2-1  a vacancy occurring on or after the effective date of this Act.  A
    2-2  vacancy occurring before the effective date of this Act is covered
    2-3  by the law in effect when the vacancy occurred, and the former law
    2-4  is continued in effect for that purpose.
    2-5        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-6  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-7  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-8  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-9  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-10  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-11  passage, and it is so enacted.