1-1     By:  West (Senate Sponsor - Duncan)                    H.B. No. 758

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 4, 1997;

 1-3     April 8, 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 sales and use tax rate of certain hospital

 1-9     districts.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 285.061(a), Health and Safety Code, is

1-12     amended to read as follows:

1-13           (a)  A hospital district that is authorized to impose ad

1-14     valorem taxes may adopt a sales and use tax, change the rate of its

1-15     sales and use tax, or abolish its sales and use tax at an election

1-16     held as provided by this subchapter.  Subject to the limitations

1-17     provided by Subsections (c) and (d), the district may impose the

1-18     tax in increments of one-eighth of one percent, with a minimum tax

1-19     of one-eighth of one percent and a maximum tax of two percent [at a

1-20     rate of one-eighth percent, one-fourth percent, one-half percent,

1-21     one percent, one and one-half percent, or two percent].

1-22           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-27     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-28     passage, and it is so enacted.

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