By Denny                                        H.B. No. 1351

      75R4120 DRH-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to filling a vacancy in the office of precinct chairman of

 1-3     a political party.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 171.024, Election Code, is amended by

 1-6     amending Subsections (b), (c), and (d) and adding Subsection (e) to

 1-7     read as follows:

 1-8           (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), a [A] majority of

 1-9     the committee's membership must participate in filling a vacancy.

1-10     To be elected, a person must receive a favorable vote of a majority

1-11     of the members voting.

1-12           (c)  A vacancy in the office of precinct chairman may be

1-13     filled without participation of the majority of the committee

1-14     membership if only one person is a candidate to fill the vacancy

1-15     and the person:

1-16                 (1)  was elected as a precinct chairman in the most

1-17     recent primary election in the county; and

1-18                 (2)  is eligible to serve in the vacant office.

1-19           (d)  A vacancy may not be filled before the beginning of the

1-20     term of  office in which the vacancy occurs.

1-21           (e) [(d)]  After a vacancy is filled, the county chairman

1-22     shall promptly deliver written notice of the replacement member's

1-23     name and address to the state chairman and to the county clerk.

1-24           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-1           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-2     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.