By Turner of Coleman                             H.B. No. 679

      75R3590 PAM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to permitting certain county law enforcement officers in

 1-3     rural areas to receive reduced airline fares while engaged in

 1-4     certain official duties.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  The heading to Section 2171.055, Government Code,

 1-7     is amended to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 2171.055.  PARTICIPATION [BY STATE AGENCIES] IN TRAVEL

 1-9     SERVICES CONTRACTS.

1-10           SECTION 2.  Section 2171.055, Government Code, is amended by

1-11     adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

1-12           (e)  A county sheriff or deputy sheriff located in a rural

1-13     area who is transporting a state prisoner under a felony warrant

1-14     may participate in the commission's contracts for travel services

1-15     for purposes of obtaining reduced airline fares.  In this

1-16     subsection, "rural area" means an area that is predominately rural

1-17     in character and is designated by the commission as a rural area.

1-18     The commission shall:

1-19                 (1)  adopt rules and make or amend contracts as

1-20     necessary to administer this subsection; and

1-21                 (2)  at the request of a county, determine whether the

1-22     county constitutes a rural area for purposes of this subsection.

1-23           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

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

 2-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 2-4     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 2-5     passage, and it is so enacted.