By:  Yarbrough                                        H.B. No. 1069
       73R3521 DRH-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to an elected county elections administrator in certain
    1-3  counties.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Chapter 31, Election Code, is amended by adding
    1-6  Subchapter B-1 to read as follows:
    1-7        SUBCHAPTER B-1.  ELECTED COUNTY ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR
    1-8                          IN CERTAIN COUNTIES
    1-9        Sec. 31.061.  ELECTED COUNTY ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR IN
   1-10  COUNTY WITH POPULATION OF 2.5 MILLION OR MORE.  (a)  In a county
   1-11  with a population of 2.5 million or more, a county elections
   1-12  administrator shall be elected for a term of four years.
   1-13        (b)  A county elections administrator under this section
   1-14  shall perform:
   1-15              (1)  the duties and functions placed on the county
   1-16  clerk by this code;
   1-17              (2)  the duties and functions relating to elections
   1-18  that are placed on the county clerk by statutes outside this code,
   1-19  subject to Section 31.044; and
   1-20              (3)  the duties and functions placed on an
   1-21  administrator under Sections 31.044 and 31.045.
   1-22        (c)  The office of elected county elections administrator is
   1-23  governed by the same requirements as the office of county clerk in
   1-24  matters of:
    2-1              (1)  eligibility;
    2-2              (2)  resignation and filling a vacancy in the office;
    2-3  and
    2-4              (3)  removal from office.
    2-5        (d)  Sections 31.039, 31.040, 31.041, 31.042, 31.044, 31.045,
    2-6  31.046,  31.047, and 31.049 apply to an elected county elections
    2-7  administrator to the extent they can be made applicable.
    2-8        Sec. 31.062.  ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES.  The secretary of state
    2-9  shall prescribe any additional procedures necessary to implement
   2-10  this subchapter.
   2-11        SECTION 2.  Section 52.092(e), Election Code, is amended to
   2-12  read as follows:
   2-13        (e)  County offices shall be listed in the following order:
   2-14              (1)  county judge;
   2-15              (2)  judge, county court at law;
   2-16              (3)  judge, county criminal court;
   2-17              (4)  judge, county probate court;
   2-18              (5)  county attorney;
   2-19              (6)  district clerk;
   2-20              (7)  district and county clerk;
   2-21              (8)  county clerk;
   2-22              (9)  sheriff;
   2-23              (10)  sheriff and tax assessor-collector;
   2-24              (11)  county tax assessor-collector;
   2-25              (12)  county treasurer;
   2-26              (13)  county school trustee (county with population of
   2-27  two million or more);
    3-1              (14)  county elections administrator (county with
    3-2  population of 2.5 million or more);
    3-3              (15) <(14)>  county surveyor;
    3-4              (16) <(15)>  inspector of hides and animals.
    3-5        SECTION 3.  The vacancy in the office of elected county
    3-6  elections administrator under Section 201.027, Election Code, shall
    3-7  be filled as soon as possible after the effective date of this Act.
    3-8  The first full term for the new office shall begin January 1, 1995,
    3-9  and the office shall appear on the primary and general election
   3-10  ballots in 1994.
   3-11        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
   3-12        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
   3-13  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   3-14  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   3-15  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   3-16  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.