By Uher H.B. No. 2094 75R6014 CLG-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to authorizing the Sweeny Hospital District to operate or 1-3 provide for certain medical care and medical services to or for 1-4 needy residents of the district. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Section 2, Chapter 135, Acts of the 58th 1-7 Legislature, Regular Session, 1963, is amended to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 2. (a) The hospital district herein authorized to be 1-9 created, shall provide for the establishment of a hospital system 1-10 to furnish medical and hospital care to persons residing in said 1-11 hospital district by the purchase, construction, acquisition, 1-12 repair, or renovation of buildings and improvements; and the 1-13 equipping of same and the administration thereof for hospital 1-14 purposes. Such district shall assume full responsibility for 1-15 providing medical and hospital care for its needy inhabitants. 1-16 (b) The district may operate or provide for home health care 1-17 services, long-term care services, skilled nursing care, 1-18 intermediate nursing care, hospice care, personal care services, 1-19 nutritional services, personal assistance services, respite 1-20 services, adult-day care services, or any other reasonable or 1-21 appropriate medical care or medical service. The district may 1-22 include facilities or provide for equipment the board considers 1-23 necessary for the provision of medical care or medical services or 1-24 for hospital purposes, including durable medical equipment and 2-1 equipment to provide for domiciliary care and treatment of sick, 2-2 injured, or geriatric patients. 2-3 (c) Such hospital district shall not be created nor shall 2-4 such tax therein be authorized unless and until such creation and 2-5 such taxes are approved by a majority of the qualified property 2-6 taxpaying electors of the district voting in an election called for 2-7 such purpose. Such election may be initiated by election judges, 2-8 who shall be O. K. Hitchcock, Earl Wells, Bobby W. Brown, George 2-9 Sparkman and Roy Walby upon their own motion or upon a petition of 2-10 one hundred (100) resident qualified property taxpaying electors, 2-11 residing within the boundaries of the proposed hospital district, 2-12 to be held not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) 2-13 days from the time said election is ordered by the election judges. 2-14 The order calling the election shall specify the time and 2-15 place or places of holding same, the form of ballot and the 2-16 presiding judge for each voting place. At such election there 2-17 shall be submitted to the qualified property taxpaying electors the 2-18 proposition of whether or not Sweeny Hospital District shall be 2-19 created with authority to levy annual taxes at a rate not to exceed 2-20 seventy-five cents (75 ) on the One Hundred Dollar ($100) valuation 2-21 of all taxable property within such district for the purpose of 2-22 meeting the requirements of the district's bonds and its 2-23 maintenance and operating expenses, and a majority of the qualified 2-24 property taxpaying electors of the district voting in said election 2-25 in favor of the proposition shall be sufficient for its adoption. 2-26 The ballots shall have printed thereon the following: 2-27 "FOR the creation of the Sweeny Hospital District; providing 3-1 for the levy of annual taxes not to exceed seventy-five cents (75 ) 3-2 on the One Hundred Dollar ($100) valuation of all taxable property 3-3 within such District." 3-4 "AGAINST the creation of the Sweeny Hospital District; 3-5 providing for the levy of annual taxes not to exceed seventy-five 3-6 cents (75 ) on the One Hundred Dollar ($100) valuation of all 3-7 taxable property within such District." 3-8 Notice of election shall be given by publishing a substantial 3-9 copy of the election order in a newspaper of general circulation in 3-10 Sweeny Hospital District once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks, 3-11 the first publication to appear at least fourteen (14) days prior 3-12 to the date established for the election. 3-13 The failure of any such election shall not operate to 3-14 prohibit the calling and holding of subsequent elections for the 3-15 same purpose. 3-16 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 3-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-21 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-22 passage, and it is so enacted.