By:  Haley                                              S.B. No. 98
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to the creation, purpose, implementation, and organization
    1-2  of the County Park Compost Program.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  SHORT TITLE.  This Act may be known and cited as
    1-5  the County Park Compost Program Act.
    1-6        SECTION 2.  PURPOSE.  It is the intent of the legislature
    1-7  that those counties having county parks and wild or landscaped
    1-8  recreational areas shall bring their land use into compliance with
    1-9  present or soon-to-be accepted standards of economic and
   1-10  ecologically sound and prudent practices and policies.
   1-11        SECTION 3.  CREATION.  In furtherance of the goals outlined
   1-12  above, the County Park Compost Program is created.
   1-13        SECTION 4.  IMPLEMENTATION.  A county desiring to participate
   1-14  in the program shall, by order of the county commissioners court,
   1-15  on or after the effective date of this Act and before the next
   1-16  countywide election, designate one person in the personnel division
   1-17  of the county assigned to the care and maintenance of county parks
   1-18  and wild or landscaped recreational areas as County Park Compost
   1-19  Program Coordinator, who shall devote as much working time as is
   1-20  necessary and have as much assistance as may be required to
   1-21  accomplish the purposes of the program.
   1-22        SECTION 5.  FUNDING.  The county commissioners court is
   1-23  authorized to seek bequests, donations, grants, and other money,
    2-1  goods, and services from federal, state, and private sources to
    2-2  finance and further the goals of the program, but it may not levy
    2-3  any tax nor be the recipient of any legislative appropriation
    2-4  whatsoever, nor is the state liable for debts or other obligations
    2-5  incurred by a county in implementing or preparing to implement this
    2-6  Act.
    2-7        SECTION 6.  REPORT.  A report on county compost activity
    2-8  shall be presented to the commissioners court at least annually.
    2-9        SECTION 7.  EMERGENCY.  The importance of this legislation
   2-10  and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-11  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-12  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-13  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-14  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-15  passage, and it is so enacted.