1-1 By: Gallego (Senate Sponsor - Patterson) H.B. No. 785 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 18, 1997; 1-3 April 22, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Jurisprudence; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to venue in a suit against a political subdivision. 1-9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-10 SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 15, Civil Practice and 1-11 Remedies Code, is amended by adding Section 15.0151 to read as 1-12 follows: 1-13 Sec. 15.0151. CERTAIN POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS. (a) Except 1-14 as provided by a law not contained in this chapter, an action 1-15 against a political subdivision that is located in a county with a 1-16 population of 100,000 or less shall be brought in the county in 1-17 which the political subdivision is located. If the political 1-18 subdivision is located in more than one county and the population 1-19 of each county is 100,000 or less, the action shall be brought in 1-20 any county in which the political subdivision is located. 1-21 (b) In this section, "political subdivision" means a 1-22 governmental entity in this state, other than a county, that is not 1-23 a state agency. The term includes a municipality, school or junior 1-24 college district, hospital district, or any other special purpose 1-25 district or authority. 1-26 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-27 SECTION 3. This Act applies only to a suit that is commenced 1-28 on or after the effective date of this Act. A suit that is 1-29 commenced before the effective date of this Act is governed by the 1-30 law applicable to the suit immediately before the effective date of 1-31 this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose. 1-32 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-33 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-34 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-35 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-36 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-37 * * * * *