1-1 By: McCoulskey (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister) H.B. No. 2525 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 4, 1995; 1-3 May 5, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Intergovernmental Relations; May 17, 1995, reported favorably by 1-5 the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 17, 1995, sent to 1-6 printer.) 1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-8 AN ACT 1-9 relating to the authority of certain hospital authorities to issue 1-10 short-term obligations. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Section 1(1), Chapter 656, Acts of the 68th 1-13 Legislature, Regular Session, 1983 (Article 717q, Vernon's Texas 1-14 Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows: 1-15 (1) "Issuer" means (A) any incorporated city operating 1-16 under a home-rule charter adopted pursuant to Article XI, Section 1-17 5, of the Constitution of Texas having a population according to 1-18 the latest federal decennial census of 90,000 or more and having 1-19 outstanding long-term debt secured by the revenues of the public 1-20 utility for which the obligations are being issued which is rated 1-21 by a nationally recognized rating agency for municipal securities 1-22 in one of the four highest rating categories for long-term 1-23 obligations; (B) any conservation and reclamation district created 1-24 and organized as a river authority under and pursuant to Article 1-25 III, Section 52, or Article XVI, Section 59, of the Constitution of 1-26 Texas and by an act of the legislature of the State of Texas; (C) 1-27 any joint powers agency organized and operating pursuant to Chapter 1-28 166, Acts of the 63rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 1-29 1435a, Revised Statutes); (D) any metropolitan rapid transit 1-30 authority or regional transportation authority created, organized, 1-31 and operating pursuant to Chapter 141, Acts of the 63rd 1-32 Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 1118x, Revised 1-33 Statutes) or Chapter 683, Acts of the 66th Legislature, Regular 1-34 Session, 1979 (Article 1118y, Revised Statutes); (E) any 1-35 conservation and reclamation district organized or operating as a 1-36 navigation district under and pursuant to Article III, Section 52, 1-37 or Article XVI, Section 59, of the Constitution of Texas; (F) any 1-38 district organized or operating under and pursuant to Article XVI, 1-39 Section 59, of the Constitution of Texas which has all or part of 1-40 two or more incorporated cities within its boundaries; (G) agencies 1-41 of the State of Texas (including the governing boards of the state 1-42 institutions of higher education); (H) any hospital authority in a 1-43 county with a population of more than 2 million, according to the 1-44 most recent federal census, or any hospital authority in a county 1-45 that is included, in whole or in part, in a standard metropolitan 1-46 statistical area of this state that includes a county with a 1-47 population of more than 1,800,000, that was created or is operating 1-48 under Chapter 262, Health and Safety Code, or Chapter 264, Health 1-49 and Safety Code; and (I) any nonprofit corporation organized to 1-50 exercise the powers of a higher education authority under 1-51 Subsection (e), Section 53.47, Education Code. 1-52 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-53 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-54 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-55 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-56 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-57 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-58 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-59 * * * * *