1-1 By: Maxey, Greenberg (Senate Sponsor - Barrientos) H.B. No. 324 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997; 1-3 April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State 1-4 Affairs; May 8, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 12, Nays 0; May 8, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the days and hours during which early voting by 1-9 personal appearance is conducted in certain municipalities. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 85, Election Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Section 85.008 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 85.008. DAYS AND HOURS FOR VOTING: ELECTION IN CERTAIN 1-14 CITIES. (a) This section applies only to a city with a population 1-15 of more than 450,000 in which all members of the governing body are 1-16 elected on an at-large basis. 1-17 (b) Notwithstanding and in addition to other applicable 1-18 provisions of this code, in an election in which the city secretary 1-19 is the early voting clerk under Section 83.005, early voting by 1-20 personal appearance shall be conducted on the corresponding days 1-21 and for the same number of hours that the voting is required to be 1-22 conducted in the general election for state and county officers in 1-23 the county in which a majority of the population of the city is 1-24 located. 1-25 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-26 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-27 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-28 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-29 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-30 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-31 * * * * *