By Lewis of Orange H.B. No. 709
75R3917 MI-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the appointment of members to the Parks and Wildlife
1-3 Commission.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 11, Parks and Wildlife
1-6 Code, is amended by adding Section 11.003 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 11.003. GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS. The state is divided into
1-8 nine geographic regions from which the commission members are
1-9 appointed, as follows:
1-10 (1) Region 1: Archer, Armstrong, Bailey, Baylor,
1-11 Borden, Briscoe, Callahan, Carson, Castro, Childress, Clay,
1-12 Cochran, Collingsworth, Cooke, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf
1-13 Smith, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Gaines,
1-14 Garza, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Haskell,
1-15 Hemphill, Hockley, Hutchinson, Jack, Jones, Kent, King, Knox, Lamb,
1-16 Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Montague, Moore, Motley, Nolan, Ochiltree,
1-17 Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts,
1-18 Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Stephens, Stonewall, Swisher, Taylor,
1-19 Terry, Throckmorton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise, Yoakum, and
1-20 Young counties;
1-21 (2) Region 2: Bowie, Camp, Cass, Collin, Delta,
1-22 Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins,
1-23 Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Panola, Rains, Red River,
1-24 Rockwall, Rusk, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties;
2-1 (3) Region 3: Andrews, Brewster, Coke, Coleman,
2-2 Concho, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Ector, El Paso, Glasscock,
2-3 Howard, Hudspeth, Irion, Jeff Davis, Kimble, Loving, Martin,
2-4 McCulloch, Menard, Midland, Mitchell, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan,
2-5 Reeves, Runnels, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, Terrell, Tom Green,
2-6 Upton, Val Verde, Ward, and Winkler counties;
2-7 (4) Region 4: Bell, Bosque, Brown, Comanche, Coryell,
2-8 Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Johnson,
2-9 Lampasas, McLennan, Mills, Navarro, San Saba, Somervell, and
2-10 Tarrant counties;
2-11 (5) Region 5: Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Freestone,
2-12 Houston, Jasper, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Nacogdoches, Newton,
2-13 Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity,
2-14 Tyler, and Walker counties;
2-15 (6) Region 6: Bandera, Blanco, Comal, Edwards, Frio,
2-16 Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Llano, Mason, Maverick, Medina,
2-17 Real, Uvalde, and Zavala counties;
2-18 (7) Region 7: Bastrop, Bexar, Brazos, Burleson,
2-19 Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Gonzales, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hays,
2-20 Karnes, Lee, Milam, Robertson, Travis, Washington, Williamson, and
2-21 Wilson counties;
2-22 (8) Region 8: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado,
2-23 Fort Bend, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jefferson, Lavaca,
2-24 Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Waller, and Wharton counties; and
2-25 (9) Region 9: Aransas, Atascosa, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun,
2-26 Cameron, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Goliad, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim
2-27 Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces,
3-1 Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Victoria, Webb, Willacy, and Zapata
3-2 counties.
3-3 SECTION 2. Section 11.012, Parks and Wildlife Code, is
3-4 amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
3-5 (d) The governor shall appoint one commission member from
3-6 each geographic region designated under Section 11.003 of this
3-7 code.
3-8 SECTION 3. Section 11.0125, Parks and Wildlife Code, is
3-9 amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to
3-10 read as follows:
3-11 (a) It is a ground for removal from the commission if a
3-12 member:
3-13 (1) does not have at the time of appointment the
3-14 qualifications required by Section 11.0121 of this code for
3-15 appointment to the commission;
3-16 (2) does not maintain during the service on the
3-17 commission the qualifications required by Section 11.0121 of this
3-18 code for appointment to the commission;
3-19 (3) violates a prohibition established by Section
3-20 11.0122 or 11.0123 of this code;
3-21 (4) is unable to discharge his duties for a
3-22 substantial portion of the term for which he was appointed because
3-23 of illness or disability; [or]
3-24 (5) is absent from more than one-half of the regularly
3-25 scheduled commission meetings which the member is eligible to
3-26 attend during each calendar year, except when the absence is
3-27 excused by majority vote of the commission; or
4-1 (6) no longer resides in the geographic region from
4-2 which the member is appointed.
4-3 (d) A commission member's failure to reside in the
4-4 geographic region from which the member is appointed is not grounds
4-5 for removal of the member from the commission if the member no
4-6 longer resides in the geographic region because of a change in the
4-7 region's boundaries.
4-8 SECTION 4. (a) The governor shall make appointments under
4-9 Section 11.012(d), Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this Act,
4-10 as a vacancy occurs or a term expires for positions held by those
4-11 commission members serving on the effective date of this Act.
4-12 (b) Section 11.0125(a)(6), Parks and Wildlife Code, as added
4-13 by this Act, applies only to a commission member appointed under
4-14 Section 11.012(d), Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this Act.
4-15 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
4-16 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-17 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-18 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-19 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
4-20 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
4-21 passage, and it is so enacted.