By Thompson, Hilbert, Dutton, Hamric, Crabb,           H.B. No. 892

            et al. 

         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 892:

         By Clark                                           C.S.H.B. No. 892

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to withdrawal of a unit from a rapid transit authority.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4     SECTION 1.  Section 451.617, Transportation Code, is amended to

 1-5     read as follows:

 1-6     (a)  In an authority created before 1980 in which the principal

 1-7     municipality has a population of 750,000 or more [less than 1.2

 1-8     million], a unit of election, other than the principal

 1-9     municipality, may withdraw from the authority, in addition to any

1-10     other manner provided by law, by a vote of a majority of the

1-11     registered voters of the unit of election voting at an election on

1-12     the question of withdrawing from the authority.

1-13     (b)  The governing body of a unit of election in the authority,

1-14     other than the principal municipality, shall call an election under

1-15     this section in a unit of election if a petition requesting that an

1-16     election to withdraw from the authority be held is submitted to the

1-17     governing body and is signed by at least 10 percent of registered

1-18     voters of the unit of election on the date the petition is

1-19     submitted.  To be counted for purposes of validating the petition,

1-20     a signature on the petition must have been inscribed not earlier

1-21     than the 120th day before the date the petition is submitted to the

1-22     governing body.

1-23     (c)  The governing body, before the 31st day after the date the

1-24     petition is submitted to the governing body, shall determine

 2-1     whether a petition under this section is valid, and if the

 2-2     governing body fails to act on the petition before the expiration

 2-3     of that period, the petition is valid.

 2-4     (d)  Sections 451.601, 451.607, 451.608, 451.609, 451.611,

 2-5     451.612(a), and 451.613 apply to the withdrawal of a unit of

 2-6     election under this section.

 2-7     (e)  Except as provided for in subsection (f), [An] an election may

 2-8     not be held under this section on a date earlier than the first

 2-9     anniversary of the date of the most recent election held under this

2-10     section.

2-11     (f)  In an authority created before 1980 in which the principal

2-12     municipality has a population greater than 1.6 million, an election

2-13     may not be held under this section on a date earlier than the sixth

2-14     anniversary of the date of the most recent held election under this

2-15     section.

2-16     SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the crowded

2-17     condition of the calendars in both houses create an emergency and

2-18     imperative public necessity that the constitutional rule requiring

2-19     bills to be read on three several days in each house be suspended,

2-20     and that this rule is hereby suspended, and that this Act take

2-21     effect and be in force from and after its passage, and it is so

2-22     enacted.