By:  Whitmire                                          S.B. No. 116
       73R2114 CAG-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to filling certain vacancies in elective offices in a
    1-3  municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more.
    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 IN ELECTIVE OFFICE IN
    1-8  MUNICIPALITY WITH POPULATION OF 1.5 MILLION OR MORE.  (a)  This
    1-9  section applies only to a municipality with a population of 1.5
   1-10  million or more.  This section does not apply to an office for
   1-11  which Section 26.044 provides the manner for filling a vacancy in
   1-12  the office.
   1-13        (b)  The governing body of the municipality shall order a
   1-14  special election to fill a vacancy occurring in an elective office
   1-15  of the municipality if the vacancy occurs when more than one year
   1-16  remains in the unexpired term of the office.  The special election
   1-17  shall be conducted in the same manner as a general election of the
   1-18  municipality except as provided by the provisions of the Election
   1-19  Code for a special election to fill a vacancy.
   1-20        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-21  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-22  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-23  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-24  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-1  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-2  passage, and it is so enacted.