74R10670 DRH-F
          By McCoulskey                                         H.B. No. 2970
          Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2970:
          By Longoria                                       C.S.H.B. No. 2970
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the authority of a county to operate a water or sewer
    1-3  utility in unincorporated areas of a county.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 412, Local Government Code,
    1-6  is amended by adding Section 412.015 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 412.015.  COUNTY WATER AND SEWER FACILITY.  (a)  Except
    1-8  as provided by this section, a county may operate a water or sewer
    1-9  utility system to serve an unincorporated area of the county in the
   1-10  same manner, and under the same regulations, as a municipality
   1-11  under Chapter 402.
   1-12        (b)  A county may issue bonds payable solely from the revenue
   1-13  generated by the water or sewer utility system.  A county may not
   1-14  issue general obligation bonds payable from ad valorem taxes.
   1-15        (c)  A county may acquire any interest in property necessary
   1-16  to operate a system authorized by this section through any means,
   1-17  including eminent domain.
   1-18        (d)  A county may not provide water or sewer service to an
   1-19  area in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality or an
   1-20  area to which a holder of a certificate of public convenience and
   1-21  necessity must provide service under Section 13.250, Water Code,
   1-22  without the consent of the municipality or the holder of the
   1-23  certificate.
    2-1        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-2        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-3  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-4  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-5  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-6  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.