By Madden                                              H.B. No. 557
       74R2481 DRH-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to allowing an independent school district board to adopt
    1-3  term limits for its members with voter approval.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 23, Education Code, is
    1-6  amended by adding Section 23.21 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 23.21.  VOTER APPROVAL FOR TERM LIMITS.  (a)  The board
    1-8  of trustees by resolution may limit the number of terms a trustee
    1-9  may serve if  the limit is approved by the voters of the
   1-10  independent school district.
   1-11        (b)  In adopting term limits for a trustee under this
   1-12  section, the board shall include:
   1-13              (1)  whether the limit applies to consecutive or
   1-14  cumulative terms served;
   1-15              (2)  whether service to a partial term applies to the
   1-16  term limit;
   1-17              (3)  whether the term limits are prospective or
   1-18  retroactive to a certain date; and
   1-19              (4)  the date the term limits take effect.
   1-20        (c)  The board shall order an election to approve term limits
   1-21  adopted under this section.  The election is conducted in the same
   1-22  manner as the district's general election except as provided by the
   1-23  applicable provisions of the Election Code.  At the election the
   1-24  ballots shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
    2-1  proposition:  "Limiting the members of the board of trustees of the
    2-2  (name of school district) Independent School District to (number of
    2-3  terms) terms of service."
    2-4        (d)  Term limits adopted under this section take effect as
    2-5  prescribed by the board only if a majority of the votes received in
    2-6  the election approve the proposition.
    2-7        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-8        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-9  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-10  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-11  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-12  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.