By Hartnett, Marchant, Wolens, Allen                  H.B. No. 1236
       74R5041 T
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the authority of Dallas County Utility and Reclamation
    1-3  District to enter into tax abatement agreements, to designate
    1-4  reinvestment zones and to utilize all functions and procedures of
    1-5  the Property Redevelopment and Tax Abatement Act, Title 3, Ch. 312
    1-6  of the Texas Tax Code; and validating prior elections and other
    1-7  actions and contracts.
    1-8        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-9        SECTION 1.  Chapter 628 Acts of the 68th Legislature Regular
   1-10  Session, 1983, is hereby amended by adding Section 4B to read as
   1-11  follows:
   1-12        SECTION 4B.  In addition to the powers granted elsewhere in
   1-13  this Act, the District is hereby vested with and shall have and may
   1-14  exercise the following additional rights, powers, privileges,
   1-15  authorities and functions:
   1-16              (1)  The District may enter into tax abatement
   1-17  agreements and may designate areas as reinvestment zones pursuant
   1-18  to Article 8, Section 1g of the Texas Constitution.  This Act and
   1-19  Title 3, Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code, the Property
   1-20  Redevelopment and Tax Abatement Act ("Tax Abatement Act").  The Tax
   1-21  Abatement Act shall be followed by the District except to the
   1-22  extent modified by this Act.  In the case of any conflict between
   1-23  this Act and the Tax Code, the provisions of this Act shall
   1-24  prevail.
    2-1              (2)  This Act shall stay in effect during the effective
    2-2  date of all tax abatement agreements entered into by the District
    2-3  or until this Act is amended by the Legislature, whichever occurs
    2-4  later.
    2-5              (3)  The governing body of the District may designate
    2-6  as a reinvestment zone, an area within its boundaries that
    2-7  satisfies the requirements of Section 312.202 of the Tax Abatement
    2-8  Act.
    2-9              (4)  The District and its governing body shall have all
   2-10  of a municipalities' rights, powers and authorization contained in
   2-11  the Tax Abatement Act.
   2-12              (5)  The District may enter into tax abatement
   2-13  agreements for periods not to exceed thirty (30) years subject to
   2-14  the rights of holders of outstanding tax supported bonds of the
   2-15  District.  The District may enter into tax abatement agreements
   2-16  relative to real property and to all personal property.
   2-17              (6)  Tax abatement agreements entered into by the
   2-18  District are not required to contain identical terms of other tax
   2-19  abatement agreements, if any, covering the same or a portion of the
   2-20  same exempted property.
   2-21              (7)  The District may enter into tax abatement
   2-22  agreements for facilities and structures that commenced, or were
   2-23  modified, on or after January 1, 1995, but before the effective
   2-24  date of this Act.
   2-25              (8)  The District may exempt personal property located
   2-26  on property described in (7) above in each year covered by the
   2-27  agreement except for personal property located on the property at
    3-1  any time before the period covered by the agreement began.
    3-2        SECTION 2.  Actions of the District before the effective date
    3-3  of this Act, with regard to an election, contract, the issuance of
    3-4  bonds and other obligations and the expenditure of funds in payment
    3-5  of the bonds, annexations, and other governmental and proprietary
    3-6  actions, are validated and confirmed.
    3-7        SECTION 3.  The Legislature specifically finds and declares
    3-8  that the requirements of Article XVI, Section 59(d) and (e), and
    3-9  Article III, Section 52, of the Texas Constitution have been met
   3-10  and accomplished in due course and time and in due order, and that
   3-11  the Legislature has the authority to enact this Act.
   3-12        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   3-13  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   3-14  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   3-15  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   3-16  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   3-17  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   3-18  passage, and it is so enacted.