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.

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