By Madden                                              H.B. No. 198
       74R816 PB-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the frequency of meetings of a county bail bond board
    1-3  and to the judicial review of decisions of that board.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 5(d), Chapter 550, Acts of the 63rd
    1-6  Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 2372p-3, Vernon's Texas
    1-7  Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
    1-8        (d)  Four members of the board shall constitute a quorum for
    1-9  the conduct of business.  All action by the board shall require the
   1-10  vote of a majority of the members present.  The board shall meet at
   1-11  the call of the chairman as frequently as is necessary to conduct
   1-12  the business of the board <at least once a month>.
   1-13        SECTION 2.  Section 11, Chapter 550, Acts of the 63rd
   1-14  Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 2372p-3, Vernon's Texas
   1-15  Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
   1-16        Sec. 11.  Court Review.  An appeal may be taken from any
   1-17  board's order revoking, suspending, or refusing to issue a license.
   1-18  The appeal must be made within 30 days after written notice of the
   1-19  suspension, revocation, or refusal by filing a petition in a
   1-20  district court in the county in which the license is issued or
   1-21  refused.  If no appeal is taken within 30 days after written notice
   1-22  of suspension, revocation, or refusal, such action shall become
   1-23  final.  The <An> appeal is under the substantial evidence rule
   1-24  <shall be by trial de novo, as in proceedings appealed from justice
    2-1  to county courts>.  The decision of the board shall have full force
    2-2  and effect pending the determination of the appeal.  All appeals
    2-3  taken from actions of the board shall be against the board and not
    2-4  against the members individually.
    2-5        SECTION 3.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-6        (b)  Section 11, Chapter 550, Acts of the 63rd Legislature,
    2-7  Regular Session, 1973 (Article 2372p-3, Vernon's Texas Civil
    2-8  Statutes), as amended by Section 2 of this Act, applies only to an
    2-9  appeal of an order of a county bail bond board that is filed on or
   2-10  after September 1, 1995.  An appeal filed before that date is
   2-11  governed by the law in effect on the date that the petition for the
   2-12  appeal is filed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
   2-13  purpose.
   2-14        SECTION 4.  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.