By:  Grusendorf                                       H.B. No. 1118
       73R4801 GGS-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the selection of the chairman of a political party's
    1-3  county executive committee.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 171.022(a), Election Code, is amended to
    1-6  read as follows:
    1-7        (a)  A county executive committee consists of:
    1-8              (1)  a county chairman, who is the presiding officer,
    1-9  elected at the general primary election by majority vote of the
   1-10  qualified voters of the county who vote in the primary on that
   1-11  office, unless a different method of selection is adopted by the
   1-12  state executive committee under  Section 171.0221; and
   1-13              (2)  a precinct chairman from each county election
   1-14  precinct, elected at the general primary by majority vote of the
   1-15  qualified voters of the precinct who vote in the primary on that
   1-16  office.
   1-17        SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 171, Election Code, is
   1-18  amended by adding Section 171.0221 to read as follows:
   1-19        Sec. 171.0221.  SELECTION OF COUNTY CHAIRMAN.  (a)  A
   1-20  political party's state executive committee may determine the
   1-21  method of selecting the chairmen of the party's county executive
   1-22  committees.
   1-23        (b)  The method of selection is not required to be uniform
   1-24  among the counties.
    2-1        (c)  The state executive committee shall adopt rules that are
    2-2  necessary to implement the method of selection.
    2-3        SECTION 3.  Sections 172.089 and 172.112, Election Code, are
    2-4  amended to read as follows:
    2-5        Sec. 172.089.  Order of Party Offices on Ballot.  The party
    2-6  offices of county chairman, if elective, and precinct chairman
    2-7  shall be listed on the primary election ballot after the public
    2-8  offices with the office of county chairman listed first.
    2-9        Sec. 172.112.  Write-In Voting.  Write-in voting in a primary
   2-10  election is not permitted except in the general primary election
   2-11  for the offices of county chairman, if elective, and precinct
   2-12  chairman.
   2-13        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
   2-14        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-15  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-16  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-17  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-18  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.