1-1     By:  Turner of Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Wentworth)    H.B. No. 826

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 1997;

 1-3     April 29, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Intergovernmental Relations; May 15, 1997, reported favorably by

 1-5     the following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 15, 1997, sent to

 1-6     printer.)

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to the tax rate of the Sutton County Hospital District.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.   Sections 7.05(a) and (c), Chapter 1047, Acts of

1-12     the 68th Legislature, Regular Session, 1983, are amended to read as

1-13     follows:

1-14           (a)  The board may order an election on the question of

1-15     increasing the district's maximum tax rate to 35 [20] cents on each

1-16     $100 of valuation on all taxable property in the district.  The

1-17     board shall order an election on this question if the board

1-18     receives a petition requesting an election that is signed by at

1-19     least 15 percent of the registered voters in the district.

1-20           (c)  The ballot for the election shall be printed to permit

1-21     voting for or against the proposition:  "The levy of annual taxes

1-22     by the district for hospital purposes at a rate not to exceed 35

1-23     [20] cents on the $100 valuation of all taxable property in the

1-24     district."  The election shall be held in accordance with the

1-25     applicable provisions of the Election Code.

1-26           SECTION 2.   The importance of this legislation and the

1-27     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-28     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-29     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-30     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-31     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-32     passage, and it is so enacted.

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