1-1     By:  Rodriguez, Puente (Senate Sponsor - Wentworth)    H.B. No. 376

 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

 1-4     Natural Resources; April 28, 1997, reported favorably by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 28, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the authority of the Bexar Metropolitan Water District

 1-9     to issue bonds and to enter into certain agreements.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Chapter 306, Acts of the 49th Legislature,

1-12     Regular Session, 1945 (Article 8280-126, Vernon's Texas Civil

1-13     Statutes), is amended by adding Sections 15A and 15B to read as

1-14     follows:

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

1-16     apply to the issuance or sale of District bonds.

1-17           Sec. 15B.  The District shall take all action, including

1-18     issuing bonds for facilities, deemed necessary and desirable by the

1-19     Board to conserve and protect the water in the Edwards Aquifer,

1-20     including the development of alternate water supplies to its

1-21     customers such as surface water sources and reuse or retreatment of

1-22     water owned by the District.  In that connection, the District may

1-23     issue bonds and may acquire, construct, purchase, improve,

1-24     renovate, or take any other similar action to provide facilities

1-25     designed to achieve such purposes, including, but not limited to,

1-26     entering into installment purchase or sale agreements, lease

1-27     purchase agreements, leases, construction contracts, or similar

1-28     agreements with any person upon the terms and containing the

1-29     provisions determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, to be

1-30     advantageous to the District.

1-31           SECTION 2.  (a)  The proper and legal notice of the intention

1-32     to introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this

1-33     Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a

1-34     copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies,

1-35     officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished

1-36     by the constitution and other laws of this state, including the

1-37     governor, who has submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Natural

1-38     Resource Conservation Commission.

1-39           (b)  The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission has

1-40     filed its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor,

1-41     lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives

1-42     within the required time.

1-43           (c)  All requirements of the constitution and laws of this

1-44     state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect

1-45     to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled

1-46     and accomplished.

1-47           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-48     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-49     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-50     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-51     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-52     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-53     passage, and it is so enacted.

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