By De La Garza, Chisum                                H.B. No. 2887
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the powers and duties of certain industrial development
    1-3  corporations created by cities.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  The Development Corporation Act of 1979 (Article
    1-6  5190.6, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) is amended by adding Section
    1-7  4C to read as follows:
    1-8        Sec. 4C.  ADDITIONAL PROJECT IN CERTAIN CORPORATIONS.  (a)  A
    1-9  city that has created a corporation under Section 4A of this Act
   1-10  may, with the approval of the corporation, call and hold an
   1-11  election on whether to undertake one project permitted for a
   1-12  corporation governed by Section 4B of this Act.  On receipt by the
   1-13  city of a petition from more than 10 percent of the registered
   1-14  voters of the city requesting an election on the issue, the
   1-15  commission and the corporation shall formally consider whether to
   1-16  hold the election.
   1-17        (b)  Before holding the election, the city and corporation
   1-18  jointly shall hold at least three public hearings on the issue.
   1-19        (c)  City funds, taxes imposed under this Act, and interest
   1-20  on those taxes may not be used to finance a campaign for or against
   1-21  the proposition.  On violation of this subsection, an election
   1-22  approving the proposition is void.
   1-23        (d)  Before the election, taxes imposed under this Act and
    2-1  interest on those taxes may not be used to study the feasibility of
    2-2  or plan a project the undertaking of which is contingent on the
    2-3  approval of the proposition.
    2-4        (e)  An employee of the city or corporation may not campaign
    2-5  for or against the proposition during the employee's hours of
    2-6  employment.
    2-7        (f)  The ballot proposition at the election must specify the
    2-8  project under Section 4B of this Act that the corporation intends
    2-9  to undertake if the proposition is approved.
   2-10        (g)  If a majority of votes cast on the proposition at the
   2-11  election is in favor of the proposition, the corporation may
   2-12  undertake the project specified on the ballot, notwithstanding that
   2-13  the corporation is governed by Section 4A of this Act.  If a
   2-14  majority of votes cast on the proposition at the election is
   2-15  against the proposition, the corporation may not undertake the
   2-16  project.
   2-17        (h)  A city may not hold more than one election under this
   2-18  section.
   2-19        (i)  This section expires January 1, 1997.
   2-20        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-21  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-22  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-23  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-24  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-25  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    3-1  passage, and it is so enacted.