1-1     By:  Krusee (Senate Sponsor - Barrientos)              H.B. No. 883

 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     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 composition of the board of directors of certain

1-10     metropolitan transit authorities.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 451.501, Transportation Code, is amended

1-13     by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:

1-14           (g)  This section does not apply to the board of an authority

1-15     described by Section 451.5021(a).

1-16           SECTION 2.  Section 451.502, Transportation Code, is amended

1-17     by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:

1-18           (f)  This section does not apply to the board of an authority

1-19     described by Section 451.5021(a).

1-20           SECTION 3.  Subchapter K, Chapter 451, Transportation Code,

1-21     is amended by adding Section 451.5021 to read as follows:

1-22           Sec. 451.5021.  BOARD COMPOSITION; CERTAIN AUTHORITIES.  (a)

1-23     This section applies only to the board of an authority confirmed

1-24     before July 1, 1985, in which the principal municipality has a

1-25     population of less than 750,000.

1-26           (b)  The board is composed of nine members who are appointed

1-27     as follows:

1-28                 (1)  five members are appointed by the governing body

1-29     of the principal municipality;

1-30                 (2)  one member is appointed by the members of the

1-31     commissioners court of the principal county;

1-32                 (3)  one member is appointed by a panel composed of:

1-33                       (A)  the mayors of all municipalities in the

1-34     authority located outside the principal county of the authority,

1-35     excluding the mayor of the principal municipality; and

1-36                       (B)  the county judges of the counties having

1-37     unincorporated area in the authority, excluding the county judge of

1-38     the principal county;

1-39                 (4)  one member is appointed by a panel composed of the

1-40     mayors of all the municipalities in the authority located in the

1-41     principal county of the authority, excluding the mayor of the

1-42     principal municipality; and

1-43                 (5)  one member is appointed by the metropolitan

1-44     planning organization that serves the area of the authority.

1-45           (c)  A panel appointing a member under this section operates

1-46     in the manner prescribed by Section 451.503.

1-47           (d)  A member appointed under Subsection (b)(5) is nominated

1-48     by the presiding officer of the organization and confirmed by the

1-49     governing body of the organization.

1-50           (e)  In this section, "principal county" has the meaning

1-51     assigned by Section 451.501(f).

1-52           SECTION 4.  (a)  This section applies only to the board of

1-53     directors of a metropolitan transit authority created before July

1-54     1, 1985, by a municipality with a population of less than 750,000.

1-55           (b)  The governmental entities entitled to make additional

1-56     appointments under Section 451.5021, Transportation Code, as added

1-57     by this Act, shall make the initial appointments as soon as

1-58     practical after the effective date of this Act.

1-59           (c)  The board may reduce the length of the term of a person

1-60     initially appointed under Subsection (b) of this section to allow

1-61     for staggered terms.

1-62           SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-63           SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-64     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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