By McCoulskey                                         H.B. No. 2970
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the authorization of a county commissioners court to
    1-3  own, operate and maintain water and sewer systems for
    1-4  unincorporated areas inside and outside the county, granting to the
    1-5  county the power of eminent domain.
    1-6        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-7        SECTION 1.  Chapter 412, Subchapter B, Local Government Code,
    1-8  Vernon's Annotated Texas Codes, is amended by adding Section
    1-9  412.015 to read as follows:
   1-10        (a)  The commissioners court of a county may build, own,
   1-11  operate, and maintain water and sewer systems within unincorporated
   1-12  areas within the county.
   1-13        (b)  The county may issue revenue bonds secured solely by the
   1-14  pledge of revenues from the area or areas being served.  The county
   1-15  may not pledge any general revenues secured by ad valorem taxes.
   1-16        (c)  The county may acquire necessary land, easements, and
   1-17  rights-of-way inside and outside of county jurisdiction in order to
   1-18  provide service under this section.  The county is specifically
   1-19  granted the use of all public easements and allowed the use of
   1-20  eminent domain in order to fulfill the requirements of this
   1-21  section.
   1-22        (d)  Any service to be provided within a city's
   1-23  extraterritorial jurisdiction or within a certificated service area
    2-1  of any other utility the county must receive written authorization
    2-2  from the city or utility prior to any issuance of revenue debt.
    2-3        (e)  The county would be subject to all applicable rules and
    2-4  regulations by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
    2-5  as required of municipalities.
    2-6        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-7        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-8  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-9  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-10  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-11  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.