By Rodriguez, Puente                                   H.B. No. 376

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the authority of the Bexar Metropolitan Water District

 1-3     to issue bonds and to enter into certain agreements.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 306, Acts of the 49th Legislature,

 1-6     Regular Session, 1945 (Article 8280-126, Vernon's Texas Civil

 1-7     Statutes), is amended by adding Sections 15A and 15B to read as

 1-8     follows:

 1-9           Sec. 15A.  Sections 49.181 and 49.183, Water Code, do not

1-10     apply to the issuance or sale of District bonds.

1-11           Sec. 15B.  The District shall take all action, including

1-12     issuing bonds for facilities, deemed necessary and desirable by the

1-13     Board to conserve and protect the water in the Edwards Aquifer,

1-14     including the development of alternate water supplies to its

1-15     customers such as surface water sources and reuse or retreatment of

1-16     water owned by the District.  In that connection, the District may

1-17     issue bonds and may acquire, construct, purchase, improve,

1-18     renovate, or take any other similar action to provide facilities

1-19     designed to achieve such purposes, including, but not limited to,

1-20     entering into installment purchase or sale agreements, lease

1-21     purchase agreements, leases, construction contracts, or similar

1-22     agreements with any person upon the terms and containing the

1-23     provisions determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, to be

1-24     advantageous to the District.

 2-1           SECTION 2.  (a)  The proper and legal notice of the intention

 2-2     to introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this

 2-3     Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a

 2-4     copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies,

 2-5     officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished

 2-6     by the constitution and other laws of this state, including the

 2-7     governor, who has submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Natural

 2-8     Resource Conservation Commission.

 2-9           (b)  The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission has

2-10     filed its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor,

2-11     lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives

2-12     within the required time.

2-13           (c)  All requirements of the constitution and laws of this

2-14     state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect

2-15     to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled

2-16     and accomplished.

2-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-22     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-23     passage, and it is so enacted.