1-1     By:  Haggerty (Senate Sponsor - Whitmire)             H.B. No. 2745

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 1997;

 1-3     April 29, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 13, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the location of certain hearings affecting the status

 1-9     of alcoholic beverage permits.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 11.015, Alcoholic Beverage Code, is

1-12     amended to read as follows:

1-13           Sec. 11.015.  HEARING LOCATION.  Notwithstanding any other

1-14     provision of this code, except for a hearing required to be

1-15     conducted by a county judge, a hearing related to the issuance,

1-16     renewal, cancellation, or suspension of a permit under this

1-17     subtitle may be conducted:

1-18                 (1)  [only] in the county in which the premises is

1-19     located;

1-20                 (2)  at the nearest permanent hearing office of the

1-21     State Office of Administrative Hearings; or

1-22                 (3)  at any location agreed to by the parties.

1-23           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-24           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to a

1-25     hearing that begins on or after the effective date of this Act.

1-26           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-27     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-28     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-29     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-30     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-31                                  * * * * *