1-1     By:  West (Senate Sponsor - Duncan)                    H.B. No. 404

 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     Intergovernmental Relations; May 1, 1997, reported favorably by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 1, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the abolition of the office of inspector of hides and

 1-9     animals of Ector County.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  (a)  Section 146.052(a), Agriculture Code, is

1-12     amended to read as follows:

1-13           (a)  This subchapter applies only in the following counties:

1-14     Andrews, Baylor, Blanco, Briscoe, Castro, Coleman, Concho, Crane,

1-15     Dawson, Duval, [Ector,] Edwards, Gaines, Glasscock, Hardin,

1-16     Haskell, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Kerr, Kimble, LaSalle, Lee, Liberty,

1-17     McCulloch, McMullen, Martin, Menard, Mitchell, Ochiltree, Presidio,

1-18     Real, Roberts, Runnels, San Jacinto, San Saba, Sherman, Sutton,

1-19     Walker, Waller, Wood, and Yoakum.

1-20           (b)  On the effective date of this section, the office of

1-21     inspector of hides and animals of Ector County is abolished.  All

1-22     records in the possession of that office are transferred to the

1-23     county clerk and any funds in the possession of that office are

1-24     transferred to the county treasury.

1-25           SECTION 2.  (a)  The commissioners court of Ector County

1-26     shall hold an election in the county on November 3, 1998.  Ballots

1-27     at the election shall be printed to permit voting for or against

1-28     the proposition:  "The abolition of the office of inspector of

1-29     hides and animals of Ector County."

1-30           (b)  Promptly after the official canvass of the election

1-31     returns is announced, the county officer responsible for conducting

1-32     elections in the county shall send to the secretary of state, for

1-33     publication in the Texas Register, a notice describing the outcome

1-34     of the election.

1-35           SECTION 3.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this

1-36     section, this Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-37           (b)  Section 1 of this Act takes effect January 1, 1999, but

1-38     only if at the election held under Section 2 of this Act a majority

1-39     of the votes cast favor the abolition of the office of inspector of

1-40     hides and animals of Ector County.   If less than a majority of the

1-41     votes cast favor the abolition of the office, Section 1 of this Act

1-42     has no effect.

1-43           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-44     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-45     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-46     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-47     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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