By Turner of Harris H.B. No. 1182
74R4259 DRH-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the nonpartisan election of certain judicial officers.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 41.002, Election Code, is amended to read
1-5 as follows:
1-6 Sec. 41.002. General Election for State and County Officers.
1-7 (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the <The> general
1-8 election for state and county officers shall be held on the first
1-9 Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years.
1-10 (b) The general nonpartisan judicial election shall be held
1-11 on the date of the general primary election.
1-12 SECTION 2. The Election Code is amended by adding Title 17
1-13 to read as follows:
1-14 TITLE 17. NONPARTISAN JUDICIAL ELECTIONS
1-15 CHAPTER 291. NONPARTISAN JUDICIAL ELECTIONS
1-16 SUBCHAPTER A. NONPARTISAN ELECTION OF JUDGES GENERALLY
1-17 Sec. 291.001. APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER. This chapter
1-18 applies only to nonpartisan judicial offices.
1-19 Sec. 291.002. Judges Elected As Nonpartisan Candidates. All
1-20 elected judges and justices, except municipal judges and
1-21 constitutional county judges, shall be elected as nonpartisan
1-22 candidates in accordance with this chapter. Nomination for those
1-23 offices by a political party is prohibited.
1-24 Sec. 291.003. Vote Required For Election. The name of each
2-1 candidate shall be placed on the general nonpartisan judicial
2-2 election ballot, the voting on which shall be in conjunction with
2-3 each party's general primary election. The candidate receiving the
2-4 most votes shall be declared elected.
2-5 Sec. 291.004. Applicability of Other Parts of Code. The
2-6 other titles of this code apply to a nonpartisan judicial election
2-7 except provisions that are inconsistent with this title or that
2-8 cannot feasibly be applied in a nonpartisan judicial election.
2-9 Sec. 291.005. Additional Procedures. The secretary of state
2-10 shall prescribe any additional procedures necessary for the orderly
2-11 and proper administration of elections held under this chapter.
2-12 (Sections 291.006-291.020 reserved for expansion
2-13 SUBCHAPTER B. APPLICATION FOR PLACE ON BALLOT
2-14 Sec. 291.021. Application Required. (a) To be entitled to
2-15 a place on the general nonpartisan judicial election ballot, a
2-16 candidate must make an application for a place on the ballot.
2-17 (b) An application must, in addition to complying with
2-18 Section 141.031, be accompanied by the appropriate filing fee or,
2-19 instead of the filing fee, a petition that satisfies the
2-20 requirements prescribed by Section 141.062.
2-21 (c) An application filed by mail is considered to be filed
2-22 at the time of its receipt by the appropriate authority.
2-23 (d) The circulation of a petition to be filed under this
2-24 subchapter in connection with a candidate's application for a place
2-25 on the ballot does not constitute candidacy or an announcement of
2-26 candidacy for purposes of the automatic resignation provisions of
2-27 Section 65, Article XVI, or Section 11, Article XI, Texas
3-1 Constitution.
3-2 Sec. 291.022. Authority With Whom Application Filed. An
3-3 application for a place on the general nonpartisan judicial
3-4 election ballot must be filed with:
3-5 (1) the secretary of state, for a statewide or
3-6 district office; or
3-7 (2) the county clerk, for a county or precinct office.
3-8 Sec. 291.023. Regular Filing Deadline. An application for a
3-9 place on the general nonpartisan judicial election ballot must be
3-10 filed not later than the regular filing deadline for candidates in
3-11 the general primary election, except as provided by Sections
3-12 291.053 and 202.008.
3-13 Sec. 291.024. Filing Fee. (a) The filing fee for a
3-14 nonpartisan judicial candidate is as follows:
3-15 (1) office elected statewide .................. $3,000
3-16 (2) chief justice or justice, court of appeals, other
3-17 than a justice specified by Subdivision (3) ................ 1,500
3-18 (3) chief justice or justice of a court of appeals
3-19 that serves a court of appeals district in which a county with a
3-20 population of more than 850,000 is wholly or partly
3-21 situated ................................................... 2,000
3-22 (4) district judge, criminal district judge, or
3-23 family district judge, other than a judge specified by
3-24 Subdivision (5) ............................................ 1,200
3-25 (5) district or criminal district judge of a court in
3-26 a judicial district wholly contained in a county with a population
3-27 of more than 850,000 ....................................... 2,000
4-1 (6) judge, statutory county court, other than a judge
4-2 specified by Subdivision (7) ............................... 1,200
4-3 (7) judge of a statutory county court in a county with
4-4 a population of more than 850,000 .......................... 2,000
4-5 (8) justice of the peace:
4-6 (A) county with a population of 200,000
4-7 or more ..................................................... 800
4-8 (B) county with a population of under
4-9 200,000 ..................................................... 300
4-10 (b) A filing fee received by the secretary of state shall be
4-11 deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the general
4-12 revenue fund, and a filing fee received by the county clerk shall
4-13 be deposited in the county treasury to the credit of the county
4-14 general fund.
4-15 Sec. 291.025. Number of Petition Signatures Required. The
4-16 minimum number of signatures that must appear on the petition
4-17 authorized by Section 291.021 is:
4-18 (1) 5,000, for a statewide office; or
4-19 (2) for a district, county, or precinct office, the
4-20 lesser of:
4-21 (A) 500; or
4-22 (B) two percent of the total vote received in
4-23 the district, county, or precinct, as applicable, by all the
4-24 candidates for governor in the most recent gubernatorial general
4-25 election, unless that number is under 50, in which case the
4-26 required number of signatures is the lesser of:
4-27 (i) 50; or
5-1 (ii) 20 percent of that total vote.
5-2 Sec. 291.026. Statement on Petition. The following
5-3 statement must appear at the top of each page of a petition to be
5-4 filed under Section 291.021: "I know that the purpose of this
5-5 petition is to entitle (insert candidate's name) to have his name
5-6 placed on the ballot for the office of (insert office title,
5-7 including any place number or other distinguishing number) for the
5-8 nonpartisan judicial election."
5-9 Sec. 291.027. Certification of Names for Placement on
5-10 General Nonpartisan Judicial Election Ballot. (a) Except as
5-11 provided by Subsection (c), the secretary of state shall certify in
5-12 writing for placement on the general nonpartisan judicial election
5-13 ballot the name of each candidate who files with the secretary an
5-14 application that complies with Section 291.021(b).
5-15 (b) Not later than the deadline for the state chairman to
5-16 deliver to the county chairmen the certification of names for
5-17 placement on the general primary election ballot, the secretary of
5-18 state shall deliver the certification to the county clerk in each
5-19 county in which the candidate's name is to appear on the ballot.
5-20 (c) A candidate's name may not be certified:
5-21 (1) if, before delivering the certification, the
5-22 secretary of state learns that the name is to be omitted from the
5-23 ballot under Section 291.054; or
5-24 (2) for an office for which the candidate's
5-25 application is invalid under Section 141.033.
5-26 (Sections 291.028-291.050 reserved for expansion
5-27 SUBCHAPTER C. WITHDRAWAL, DEATH, AND INELIGIBILITY
6-1 OF CANDIDATE
6-2 Sec. 291.051. Withdrawal, Death, or Ineligibility Generally.
6-3 With respect to withdrawal, death, or ineligibility of a candidate
6-4 in a nonpartisan judicial election, this subchapter supersedes
6-5 Subchapter A, Chapter 145, to the extent of any conflict.
6-6 Sec. 291.052. Withdrawal From General Nonpartisan Judicial
6-7 Election. (a) A candidate may not withdraw from the general
6-8 nonpartisan judicial election after the 62nd day before general
6-9 primary election day.
6-10 (b) A withdrawal request must be filed with the authority
6-11 with whom the withdrawing candidate's application for a place on
6-12 the ballot is required to be filed.
6-13 Sec. 291.053. Extended Filing Deadline. (a) If a candidate
6-14 dies, withdraws, or is declared ineligible under circumstances that
6-15 would result in an extension of the filing deadline in a party
6-16 primary, the filing deadline for nonpartisan judicial candidates
6-17 for that office is extended in the same manner as provided for a
6-18 primary election.
6-19 (b) If the deadline for filing applications is extended,
6-20 notice of the extended filing shall be given in the same manner as
6-21 provided for a primary election.
6-22 Sec. 291.054. Withdrawn, Deceased, or Ineligible Candidate's
6-23 Name Omitted From General Nonpartisan Judicial Election Ballot. A
6-24 candidate's name shall be omitted from the general nonpartisan
6-25 judicial election ballot if the candidate withdraws, dies, or is
6-26 declared ineligible on or before the 62nd day before general
6-27 primary election day.
7-1 Sec. 291.055. Deceased or Ineligible Candidate's Name to
7-2 Appear on General Nonpartisan Judicial Election Ballot. (a) If a
7-3 candidate who has made an application for a place on the general
7-4 nonpartisan judicial election ballot that complies with the
7-5 applicable requirements dies or is declared ineligible after the
7-6 62nd day before general primary election day, the candidate's name
7-7 shall be placed on the general nonpartisan judicial election
7-8 ballot.
7-9 (b) If the name of a deceased or ineligible candidate
7-10 appears on the ballot, the votes cast for the candidate shall be
7-11 counted and entered on the official election returns in the same
7-12 manner as for the other candidates.
7-13 (c) If the deceased or ineligible candidate receives the
7-14 vote required for election, the resulting vacancy shall be filled
7-15 in the regular manner.
7-16 (Sections 291.056-291.070 reserved for expansion
7-17 SUBCHAPTER D. BALLOT
7-18 Sec. 291.071. Order of Names on General Nonpartisan Judicial
7-19 Election Ballot; Certification to Parties. (a) The order of the
7-20 candidates' names on the general nonpartisan judicial election
7-21 ballot shall be determined by a drawing conducted by the county
7-22 clerk.
7-23 (b) The drawing shall be conducted in the same manner and by
7-24 the same deadline as provided for a primary election.
7-25 (c) Within the time for preparing the party primary ballots
7-26 for a county, the county clerk shall prepare the official general
7-27 nonpartisan judicial election ballot and shall certify the ballot
8-1 forms to the primary committee of each political party that is
8-2 holding a primary election in the county. At the same time, the
8-3 county clerk shall certify the number of separate nonpartisan
8-4 judicial ballots that are to be printed for each precinct.
8-5 Sec. 291.072. Nonpartisan Judicial Election Ballot. The
8-6 nonpartisan judicial offices and candidates shall be listed as a
8-7 separate ballot on each party's primary ballot following the
8-8 partisan offices, under the heading "Nonpartisan Judicial Offices."
8-9 Sec. 291.073. Separate Nonpartisan Judicial Ballots in
8-10 Primary. (a) A sufficient number of separate ballots, listing
8-11 only the nonpartisan judicial offices and candidates, shall be
8-12 provided for the use of voters who desire to vote in the general
8-13 nonpartisan judicial election but who do not desire to vote in the
8-14 party primary.
8-15 (b) The separate nonpartisan judicial ballots and the
8-16 nonpartisan section on the primary ballot shall be paid for from
8-17 the funds appropriated for the administration of the primary
8-18 elections.
8-19 (Sections 291.074-291.090 reserved for expansion
8-20 SUBCHAPTER E. CONDUCT OF ELECTION
8-21 Sec. 291.091. General Procedure for Conduct of General
8-22 Nonpartisan Judicial Election. (a) Any qualified voter is
8-23 eligible to vote in the general nonpartisan judicial election
8-24 regardless of whether the voter desires to vote in the party
8-25 primary.
8-26 (b) The signature rosters and poll lists for the elections
8-27 shall be maintained to indicate the voters who vote in a party
9-1 primary and those who vote only in the general nonpartisan judicial
9-2 election. The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures for
9-3 maintaining the signature rosters, poll lists, lists of registered
9-4 voters, and other precinct election records used at the election.
9-5 The official forms for the election records shall be prescribed to
9-6 reflect, as necessary, the distinction between the party voters and
9-7 candidates and the nonpartisan judicial voters and candidates.
9-8 (c) Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, the
9-9 general nonpartisan judicial election shall be conducted in
9-10 accordance with the procedures prescribed by this code in relation
9-11 to the general primary election to the extent those procedures can
9-12 be made applicable.
9-13 Sec. 291.092. Certification of Results of Nonpartisan
9-14 Judicial Election. Not later than the deadline for delivering the
9-15 county election returns for statewide and district partisan offices
9-16 to the state chairman, each county chairman shall deliver a written
9-17 certification of the tabulation of results from the local canvass
9-18 to:
9-19 (1) the county clerk, for each candidate for a county
9-20 or precinct nonpartisan judicial office; and
9-21 (2) the secretary of state, for each candidate for a
9-22 statewide or district nonpartisan judicial office.
9-23 Sec. 291.093. Final Canvass for Nonpartisan Judicial
9-24 Election. On the date prescribed by this code for the final
9-25 canvass of statewide and district offices in the party primary, the
9-26 final canvass for the general nonpartisan judicial election shall
9-27 be conducted by:
10-1 (1) the governor, for statewide and district
10-2 nonpartisan judicial offices; and
10-3 (2) the commissioners court, for county and precinct
10-4 nonpartisan judicial offices.
10-5 SECTION 3. Section 1.005, Election Code, is amended by
10-6 amending Subdivision (9) and by adding Subdivision (25) to read as
10-7 follows:
10-8 (9) "Independent candidate" means a candidate in a
10-9 nonpartisan election or a candidate in a partisan election who is
10-10 not the nominee of a political party. The term does not include a
10-11 nonpartisan judicial candidate.
10-12 (25) "Nonpartisan judicial candidate" means a
10-13 candidate in a nonpartisan judicial election held under Chapter
10-14 291.
10-15 SECTION 4. Section 41.007(d), Election Code, is amended to
10-16 read as follows:
10-17 (d) Except as otherwise provided by this code, no <No> other
10-18 election may be held on the date of a primary election.
10-19 SECTION 5. Section 52.092, Election Code, is amended to read
10-20 as follows:
10-21 Sec. 52.092. Offices Regularly Filled at General Election
10-22 for State and County Officers. (a) For an election at which
10-23 offices regularly filled at the general election for state and
10-24 county officers, including the nonpartisan judicial election, are
10-25 to appear on the ballot, the offices shall be listed in the
10-26 following order:
10-27 (1) offices of the federal government;
11-1 (2) offices of the state government:
11-2 (A) statewide offices;
11-3 (B) district offices;
11-4 (3) offices of the county government:
11-5 (A) county offices;
11-6 (B) precinct offices.
11-7 (b) Offices of the federal government shall be listed in the
11-8 following order:
11-9 (1) president and vice-president of the United States;
11-10 (2) United States senator;
11-11 (3) United States representative.
11-12 (c) Statewide offices of the state government shall be
11-13 listed in the following order:
11-14 (1) governor;
11-15 (2) lieutenant governor;
11-16 (3) attorney general;
11-17 (4) comptroller of public accounts;
11-18 (5) state treasurer;
11-19 (6) commissioner of the General Land Office;
11-20 (7) commissioner of agriculture;
11-21 (8) railroad commissioner<;>
11-22 <(9) chief justice, supreme court;>
11-23 <(10) justice, supreme court;>
11-24 <(11) presiding judge, court of criminal appeals;>
11-25 <(12) judge, court of criminal appeals>.
11-26 (d) District offices of the state government shall be listed
11-27 in the following order:
12-1 (1) member, State Board of Education;
12-2 (2) state senator;
12-3 (3) state representative;
12-4 <(4) chief justice, court of appeals;>
12-5 <(5) justice, court of appeals;>
12-6 <(6) district judge;>
12-7 <(7) criminal district judge;>
12-8 <(8) family district judge;>
12-9 (4) <(9)> district attorney;
12-10 (5) <(10)> criminal district attorney.
12-11 (e) County offices shall be listed in the following order:
12-12 (1) county judge;
12-13 <(2) judge, county court at law;>
12-14 <(3) judge, county criminal court;>
12-15 <(4) judge, county probate court;>
12-16 (2) <(5)> county attorney;
12-17 (3) <(6)> district clerk;
12-18 (4) <(7)> district and county clerk;
12-19 (5) <(8)> county clerk;
12-20 (6) <(9)> sheriff;
12-21 (7) <(10)> sheriff and tax assessor-collector;
12-22 (8) <(11)> county tax assessor-collector;
12-23 (9) <(12)> county treasurer;
12-24 (10) <(13)> county school trustee (county with
12-25 population of two million or more);
12-26 (11) <(14)> county surveyor;
12-27 (12) <(15)> inspector of hides and animals.
13-1 (f) Precinct offices shall be listed in the following order:
13-2 (1) county commissioner;
13-3 <(2) justice of the peace;>
13-4 (2) <(3)> constable;
13-5 (3) <(4)> public weigher.
13-6 (g) The nonpartisan judicial offices shall be listed in the
13-7 following order:
13-8 (1) chief justice, supreme court;
13-9 (2) justice, supreme court;
13-10 (3) presiding judge, court of criminal appeals;
13-11 (4) judge, court of criminal appeals;
13-12 (5) chief justice, court of appeals;
13-13 (6) justice, court of appeals;
13-14 (7) district judge;
13-15 (8) criminal district judge;
13-16 (9) family district judge;
13-17 (10) judge, county court at law;
13-18 (11) judge, county criminal court;
13-19 (12) judge, county probate court;
13-20 (13) justice of the peace.
13-21 (h) <(g)> If two or more offices having the same title
13-22 except for a place number or other distinguishing number are to
13-23 appear on the ballot, the number shall appear as part of the office
13-24 title and the offices shall be listed in numerical order.
13-25 (i) <(h)> The secretary of state shall assign a place number
13-26 to each position to be filled at the nonpartisan judicial <general>
13-27 election <for state and county officers> for each full or unexpired
14-1 term in the following offices:
14-2 (1) justice, supreme court;
14-3 (2) judge, court of criminal appeals; and
14-4 (3) justice, court of appeals in a court having a
14-5 membership in excess of three, if distinguishing the positions to
14-6 be filled is necessary.
14-7 (j) <(i)> The secretary of state shall designate the
14-8 position of new offices on the ballot.
14-9 (k) <(j)> The office of judge of a multicounty statutory
14-10 county court created under Subchapter D, Chapter 25, Government
14-11 Code, is considered to be a county office for purposes of listing
14-12 the office on the ballot and to be a district office for all other
14-13 purposes under this code.
14-14 SECTION 6. Section 141.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
14-15 read as follows:
14-16 (a) To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or
14-17 appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person
14-18 must:
14-19 (1) be a United States citizen;
14-20 (2) be 18 years of age or older on the first day of
14-21 the term to be filled at the election or on the date of
14-22 appointment, as applicable;
14-23 (3) have not been determined mentally incompetent by a
14-24 final judgment of a court;
14-25 (4) have not been finally convicted of a felony from
14-26 which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from
14-27 the resulting disabilities;
15-1 (5) have resided continuously in the state for 12
15-2 months and in the territory from which the office is elected for
15-3 six months immediately preceding the following date:
15-4 (A) for a candidate whose name is to appear on a
15-5 general primary election ballot, the date of the regular filing
15-6 deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
15-7 (B) for an independent candidate or a
15-8 nonpartisan judicial candidate, the date of the regular filing
15-9 deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
15-10 (C) for a write-in candidate, the date of the
15-11 election at which the candidate's name is written in;
15-12 (D) for a party nominee who is nominated by any
15-13 method other than by primary election, the date the nomination is
15-14 made; and
15-15 (E) for an appointee to an office, the date the
15-16 appointment is made; and
15-17 (6) satisfy any other eligibility requirements
15-18 prescribed by law for the office.
15-19 SECTION 7. Section 145.003(b), Election Code, is amended to
15-20 read as follows:
15-21 (b) A candidate in the general election for state and county
15-22 officers, including the nonpartisan judicial election, may be
15-23 declared ineligible before the 30th day preceding election day by:
15-24 (1) the party officer responsible for certifying the
15-25 candidate's name for placement on the general election ballot, in
15-26 the case of a candidate who is a political party's nominee; or
15-27 (2) the authority with whom the candidate's
16-1 application for a place on the ballot is required to be filed, in
16-2 the case of an independent candidate or a nonpartisan judicial
16-3 candidate.
16-4 SECTION 8. Section 146.021, Election Code, is amended to
16-5 read as follows:
16-6 Sec. 146.021. Applicability of Subchapter. This subchapter
16-7 applies to a write-in candidate for an office that is to be voted
16-8 on at the general election for state and county officers, including
16-9 the nonpartisan judicial election.
16-10 SECTION 9. Section 172.024(a), Election Code, is amended to
16-11 read as follows:
16-12 (a) The filing fee for a candidate for nomination in the
16-13 general primary election is as follows:
16-14 (1) United States senator ..................... $4,000
16-15 (2) office elected statewide, except United States
16-16 senator .................................. 3,000
16-17 (3) United States representative ............... 2,500
16-18 (4) state senator .............................. 1,000
16-19 (5) state representative ......................... 600
16-20 (6) member, State Board of Education ............. 250
16-21 (7) <chief justice or justice, court of appeals,
16-22 other than a justice specified by
16-23 Subdivision (8) .......................... 1,500>
16-24 <(8) chief justice or justice of a court of appeals
16-25 that serves a court of appeals district in which
16-26 a county with a population of more than 850,000
16-27 is wholly or partly situated ............. 2,000>
17-1 <(9) district judge or judge specified by Section
17-2 52.092(d) for which this schedule does not
17-3 otherwise prescribe a fee ................ 1,200>
17-4 <(10) district or criminal district judge of a
17-5 court in a judicial district wholly contained
17-6 in a county with a population of more than
17-7 850,000 ................................. 2,000>
17-8 <(11) judge, statutory county court, other than a
17-9 judge specified by Subdivision (12) ..... 1,200>
17-10 <(12) judge of a statutory county court in a county
17-11 with a population of more than 850,000 .. 2,000>
17-12 <(13)> district attorney, criminal district attorney,
17-13 or county attorney performing the duties of a
17-14 district attorney ....................... 1,000
17-15 (8) <(14)> county commissioner or judge,
17-16 constitutional county court:
17-17 (A) county with a population of 200,000 or
17-18 more ............................... 1,000
17-19 (B) county with a population of under
17-20 200,000 .............................. 600
17-21 (9) <(15) justice of the peace or> constable:
17-22 (A) county with a population of 200,000 or
17-23 more ................................. 800
17-24 (B) county with a population of under
17-25 200,000 .............................. 300
17-26 (10) <(16)> county surveyor, inspector of hides and
17-27 animals, or public weigher ................. 50
18-1 (11) <(17)> office of the county government for which
18-2 this schedule does not otherwise prescribe a
18-3 fee ....................................... 600
18-4 SECTION 10. Section 202.002, Election Code, is amended to
18-5 read as follows:
18-6 Sec. 202.002. Vacancy Filled at General Election. (a) If a
18-7 vacancy occurs on or before the 65th day before the date of the
18-8 general election for state and county officers, or on or before the
18-9 62nd day before the date of the general primary election in the
18-10 case of a nonpartisan judicial office, held in the next-to-last
18-11 even-numbered year of a term of office, the remainder of the
18-12 unexpired term shall be filled at the next applicable general
18-13 election <for state and county officers>, as provided by this
18-14 chapter.
18-15 (b) If a vacancy occurs after the 65th day before a general
18-16 election day, or after the 62nd day before a general primary
18-17 election day in the case of a nonpartisan judicial office, an
18-18 election for the unexpired term may not be held at that general
18-19 election. The appointment to fill the vacancy continues until the
18-20 next succeeding general election and until a successor has been
18-21 elected and has qualified for the office.
18-22 SECTION 11. Chapter 202, Election Code, is amended by adding
18-23 Section 202.008 to read as follows:
18-24 Sec. 202.008. Filing deadline for application of nonpartisan
18-25 judicial candidate. (a) A nonpartisan judicial candidate for an
18-26 unexpired term must file the application for a place on the ballot
18-27 not later than the applicable deadline for a candidate for an
19-1 unexpired term in the general primary election.
19-2 (b) The filing fee or petition requirements for a candidate
19-3 for an unexpired term are the same as for a candidate for a full
19-4 term.
19-5 SECTION 12. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
19-6 SECTION 13. The importance of this legislation and the
19-7 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
19-8 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
19-9 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
19-10 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.