H.B. No. 2875
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the continued eligibility for assistance of certain
    1-3  areas formerly classified as economically distressed areas.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 15.407, Water Code, is amended by adding
    1-6  Subsection (g) to read as follows:
    1-7        (g)  If, after submission of an application under this
    1-8  section, a county has an increase in average per capita income or a
    1-9  decrease in unemployment rate average so that the county no longer
   1-10  meets the definition of an affected county in Section 16.341, the
   1-11  political subdivision that submits the application continues to be
   1-12  eligible for the funds under this section, and the board shall
   1-13  process the application for facility engineering and, if the
   1-14  application is approved, shall provide funds for the facility
   1-15  engineering plan to the political subdivision.
   1-16        SECTION 2.  Section 17.926, Water Code, is amended to read as
   1-17  follows:
   1-18        Sec. 17.926.  Applicants' Continued Eligibility.  If, after
   1-19  submission of a financial assistance application under this
   1-20  subchapter or an application for funds under Section 15.407, a
   1-21  county has an increase in average per capita income or decrease in
   1-22  unemployment rate average so that the county no longer meets the
   1-23  criteria in this subchapter, the political subdivision that submits
   1-24  the application continues to be eligible for the financial
    2-1  assistance under this subchapter, and the board shall process the
    2-2  application and, if the application is approved, shall provide
    2-3  financial assistance to the political subdivision to complete the
    2-4  project.
    2-5        SECTION 3.  The change in law made by Section 15.407(g),
    2-6  Water Code, as added by this Act, and Section 17.926, Water Code,
    2-7  as amended by this Act, applies only to an application for
    2-8  assistance:
    2-9              (1)  that was submitted by a political subdivision that
   2-10  is receiving funds on the effective date of this Act from the Texas
   2-11  Water Development Board for the payment of costs of preparation of
   2-12  a facility engineering plan in an economically distressed area; or
   2-13              (2)  that is:
   2-14                    (A)  pending before the Texas Water Development
   2-15  Board on the effective date of this Act; or
   2-16                    (B)  submitted to the Texas Water Development
   2-17  Board on or after the effective date of this Act.
   2-18        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-19  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-20  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-21  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-22  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-23  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-24  passage, and it is so enacted.