H.B. No. 432
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the membership of the board of directors of the La
    1-3  Porte Area Water Authority.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 10, Chapter 729, Acts of the 67th
    1-6  Legislature, Regular Session, 1981, is amended to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 10.  BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  (a)  Powers of the authority
    1-8  shall be exercised by a board of five directors, none of whom shall
    1-9  be a member of the city council of the City of La Porte during his
   1-10  term as director.
   1-11        (b)  The <One director must reside outside the city limits of
   1-12  La Porte but within the boundaries of the authority.>
   1-13        <(c)  By September 1, 1981, the city council of the City of
   1-14  La Porte shall assign position numbers to each director's office
   1-15  and shall appoint directors to those positions for two-year terms
   1-16  as follows:>
   1-17              <(1)  those directors occupying Positions Number 1 and
   1-18  Number 2 shall serve until September 1, 1982, and until their
   1-19  successors have been appointed and qualified; and>
   1-20              <(2)  those directors occupying Positions Number 3,
   1-21  Number 4, and Number 5 shall serve until September 1, 1983, and
   1-22  until their successors have been appointed and qualified.>
   1-23        <(d)  On the expiration of those terms, the city council of
   1-24  the> City of La Porte shall fill board <those> positions by
    2-1  appointment of a director to each position for a term of two years,
    2-2  so that two directors shall be appointed in one year and three
    2-3  directors in the next year in continuing sequence.
    2-4        (c) <(e)>  A vacancy in the office of director, because of
    2-5  the failure or refusal of one or more directors to qualify or
    2-6  serve, because of death or incapacitation, or for any other reason,
    2-7  shall be filled by appointment of the city council of the City of
    2-8  La Porte for the unexpired term.
    2-9        (d) <(f)>  Each director shall serve without emolument or
   2-10  compensation paid by the authority.
   2-11        (e) <(g)>  Each director shall qualify by subscribing to the
   2-12  constitutional oath of office and providing a bond in the amount of
   2-13  $5,000 for the faithful performance of his duties.  The cost of the
   2-14  bond shall be paid by the authority.  The bond of the first
   2-15  directors shall be approved by the mayor of the City of La Porte
   2-16  and filed in the office of the city manager of the City of La
   2-17  Porte.  The bonds of directors appointed after the first directors
   2-18  shall be approved by the authority's board of directors and shall
   2-19  be recorded in a record kept for that purpose in the office of the
   2-20  authority.
   2-21        (f) <(h)>  At the first meeting in September of each year, or
   2-22  after the annual vacancies in the board of directors are filled,
   2-23  the board shall elect a president, a vice-president, a secretary,
   2-24  and any other officers as in the judgment of the board are
   2-25  considered necessary.  The vice-president shall perform all duties
   2-26  and exercise all power conferred by this Act or the provisions of
   2-27  the general law on the president when the president is absent or
    3-1  fails or declines to act.  Any order adopted or other action taken
    3-2  at a meeting of the board at which the president is absent may be
    3-3  signed by the vice-president, or the board may authorize the
    3-4  president to sign the order or other action.
    3-5        (g) <(i)>  At the direction of the board of directors, the
    3-6  general manager of the authority may execute all contracts entered
    3-7  into by the board on behalf of the authority.
    3-8        (h) <(j)>  A majority of the duly qualified directors shall
    3-9  constitute a quorum of any meeting of the board of directors, and a
   3-10  concurrence of a majority of those directors present and voting
   3-11  shall be sufficient in all matters pertaining to the business of
   3-12  the authority, including the letting of construction work, purchase
   3-13  of existing facilities, and matters relating to construction work.
   3-14        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   3-15  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   3-16  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   3-17  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   3-18  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   3-19  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   3-20  passage, and it is so enacted.