1-1 By: Uher (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister) H.B. No. 2094 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 8, 1997; 1-3 May 9, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health 1-4 and Human Services; May 15, 1997, reported favorably by the 1-5 following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 15, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to authorizing the Sweeny Hospital District to operate or 1-9 provide for certain medical care and medical services to or for 1-10 needy residents of the district. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Section 2, Chapter 135, Acts of the 58th 1-13 Legislature, Regular Session, 1963, is amended to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 2. (a) The hospital district herein authorized to be 1-15 created, shall provide for the establishment of a hospital system 1-16 to furnish medical and hospital care to persons residing in said 1-17 hospital district by the purchase, construction, acquisition, 1-18 repair, or renovation of buildings and improvements; and the 1-19 equipping of same and the administration thereof for hospital 1-20 purposes. Such district shall assume full responsibility for 1-21 providing medical and hospital care for its needy inhabitants. 1-22 (b) The district may operate or provide for home health care 1-23 services, long-term care services, skilled nursing care, 1-24 intermediate nursing care, hospice care, personal care services, 1-25 nutritional services, personal assistance services, respite 1-26 services, adult day-care services, ambulance and emergency medical 1-27 services, or any other reasonable or appropriate medical care or 1-28 medical service. The district may include facilities or provide 1-29 for equipment the board considers necessary for the provision of 1-30 medical care or medical services or for hospital purposes, 1-31 including durable medical equipment and equipment to provide for 1-32 domiciliary care and treatment of sick, injured, or geriatric 1-33 patients. 1-34 (c) Such hospital district shall not be created nor shall 1-35 such tax therein be authorized unless and until such creation and 1-36 such taxes are approved by a majority of the qualified property 1-37 taxpaying electors of the district voting in an election called for 1-38 such purpose. Such election may be initiated by election judges, 1-39 who shall be O. K. Hitchcock, Earl Wells, Bobby W. Brown, George 1-40 Sparkman and Roy Walby upon their own motion or upon a petition of 1-41 one hundred (100) resident qualified property taxpaying electors, 1-42 residing within the boundaries of the proposed hospital district, 1-43 to be held not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) 1-44 days from the time said election is ordered by the election judges. 1-45 The order calling the election shall specify the time and 1-46 place or places of holding same, the form of ballot and the 1-47 presiding judge for each voting place. At such election there 1-48 shall be submitted to the qualified property taxpaying electors the 1-49 proposition of whether or not Sweeny Hospital District shall be 1-50 created with authority to levy annual taxes at a rate not to exceed 1-51 seventy-five cents (75 ) on the One Hundred Dollar ($100) valuation 1-52 of all taxable property within such district for the purpose of 1-53 meeting the requirements of the district's bonds and its 1-54 maintenance and operating expenses, and a majority of the qualified 1-55 property taxpaying electors of the district voting in said election 1-56 in favor of the proposition shall be sufficient for its adoption. 1-57 The ballots shall have printed thereon the following: 1-58 "FOR the creation of the Sweeny Hospital District; providing 1-59 for the levy of annual taxes not to exceed seventy-five cents (75 ) 1-60 on the One Hundred Dollar ($100) valuation of all taxable property 1-61 within such District." 1-62 "AGAINST the creation of the Sweeny Hospital District; 1-63 providing for the levy of annual taxes not to exceed seventy-five 1-64 cents (75 ) on the One Hundred Dollar ($100) valuation of all 2-1 taxable property within such District." 2-2 Notice of election shall be given by publishing a substantial 2-3 copy of the election order in a newspaper of general circulation in 2-4 Sweeny Hospital District once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks, 2-5 the first publication to appear at least fourteen (14) days prior 2-6 to the date established for the election. 2-7 The failure of any such election shall not operate to 2-8 prohibit the calling and holding of subsequent elections for the 2-9 same purpose. 2-10 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 2-11 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-15 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-16 passage, and it is so enacted. 2-17 * * * * *