By Rodriguez                                    H.B. No. 1389

      75R6225 CAG-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to restrictions on employees of certain county law

 1-3     enforcement officers to run for the office of constable or sheriff.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 180, Local Government Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Section 180.004 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 180.004.  RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN COUNTY EMPLOYEES TO

 1-8     RUN FOR OTHER OFFICES.  (a)  If an  employee of a constable or

 1-9     sheriff, a deputy sheriff, or a deputy constable announces the

1-10     person's candidacy or becomes a candidate in any general, special,

1-11     or primary election for the office of constable or sheriff in the

1-12     same county where the employee or deputy works, the announcement or

1-13     candidacy constitutes an automatic resignation of the employee's or

1-14     deputy's employment.

1-15           (b)  A person who automatically resigns under Subsection (a)

1-16     may not be employed in the same county where the employee or deputy

1-17     worked by a constable or a sheriff until the person is no longer a

1-18     candidate for the office of constable or sheriff.

1-19           SECTION 2.   This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-20           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.