By Gallego                                             H.B. No. 850
       74R144 JD-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the composition of the Public Safety Commission.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Sections 411.003(b) and (c), Government Code, are
    1-5  amended to read as follows:
    1-6        (b)  The commission is composed of six <three> citizens of
    1-7  this state appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of
    1-8  the senate.  Members must be selected because of their peculiar
    1-9  qualifications for the position.  Appointments to the commission
   1-10  shall be made without regard to race, color, disability, sex,
   1-11  religion, age, or national origin.  In making an appointment the
   1-12  governor shall consider, among other things, the person's knowledge
   1-13  of laws, experience in the enforcement of law, honesty, integrity,
   1-14  education, training, and executive ability.
   1-15        (c)  Members serve staggered six-year terms with the term of
   1-16  two members <one member> expiring January 1 of each even-numbered
   1-17  year.
   1-18        SECTION 2.  (a)  In making the three new initial appointments
   1-19  to the Public Safety Commission authorized by this Act, the
   1-20  governor shall designate one member for a term expiring January 1,
   1-21  1996, one member for a term expiring January 1, 1998, and one
   1-22  member for a term expiring January 1, 2000.
   1-23        (b)  Until all members appointed under Subsection (a) of this
   1-24  section have taken office, a quorum of the Public Safety Commission
    2-1  is a majority of the members of the commission who have qualified
    2-2  for office.
    2-3        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-4        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-5  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-6  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-7  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-8  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.