By Madden                                       H.B. No. 2243

      75R7609 DRH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to allowing an independent school district board to adopt

 1-3     term limits for its members with voter approval.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 11, Education Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 11.064 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 11.064.  VOTER APPROVAL FOR TERM LIMITS.  (a)  The board

 1-8     of trustees by resolution may limit the number of terms a trustee

 1-9     may serve if  the limit is approved by the voters of the

1-10     independent school district.

1-11           (b)  In adopting term limits for a trustee under this

1-12     section, the board shall include:

1-13                 (1)  whether the limit applies to consecutive or

1-14     cumulative terms served;

1-15                 (2)  whether service to a partial term applies to the

1-16     term limit;

1-17                 (3)  whether the term limits are prospective or

1-18     retroactive to a certain date; and

1-19                 (4)  the date the term limits take effect.

1-20           (c)  The board shall order an election to approve term limits

1-21     adopted under this section.  The election is conducted in the same

1-22     manner as the district's general election except as provided by the

1-23     applicable provisions of the Election Code.  At the election the

1-24     ballots shall be printed to permit voting for or against the

 2-1     proposition:  "Limiting the members of the board of trustees of the

 2-2     (name of school district) Independent School District to (number of

 2-3     terms) terms of service."

 2-4           (d)  Term limits adopted under this section take effect as

 2-5     prescribed by the board only if a majority of the votes received in

 2-6     the election approve the proposition.

 2-7           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-8           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.