By Chavez                                       H.B. No. 2591

      75R8921 CLG-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to an exception to the open meetings law for certain

 1-3     deliberations of the board of directors of a hospital district.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 551, Government Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 551.086 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 551.086.  BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HOSPITAL DISTRICT.  This

 1-8     chapter does not require the board of directors of a hospital

 1-9     district created under general or special law to conduct an open

1-10     meeting to deliberate:

1-11                 (1)  pricing or financial planning information relating

1-12     to a bid or negotiation for the arrangement or provision of

1-13     services or product lines to another person if disclosure of the

1-14     information would give advantage to competitors of the hospital

1-15     district; or

1-16                 (2)  information relating to a proposed new service or

1-17     product line of the hospital district.

1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-19           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.