By Crabb                                        H.B. No. 2898

      75R6605 DRH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the number of members on the board of certain

 1-3     metropolitan transit authorities.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 451.501, Transportation Code, is amended

 1-6     by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (g) to read as

 1-7     follows:

 1-8           (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), a board is

 1-9     composed of:

1-10                 (1)  five members; plus

1-11                 (2)  the number of additional members determined under

1-12     Subsection (c), (d), [or] (e), or (g).

1-13           (g)  In an authority having a principal municipality with a

1-14     population of more than 1.2 million, regardless of the percentage

1-15     of the population  of the principal county that resides in the

1-16     authority, the board has six additional members.

1-17           SECTION 2.  Section 451.502, Transportation Code, is amended

1-18     by amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (f) to read as

1-19     follows:

1-20           (e)  In an authority having six additional members, other

1-21     than an authority that has a principal municipality with a

1-22     population of more than 1.2 million, the additional members are

1-23     appointed as follows:

1-24                 (1)  two members appointed by a panel composed of:

 2-1                       (A)  the mayors of the municipalities in the

 2-2     authority, excluding the mayor of the principal municipality;  and

 2-3                       (B)  the county judges of the counties having

 2-4     unincorporated area in the authority, excluding the county judge of

 2-5     the principal county;

 2-6                 (2)  three members appointed by the commissioners court

 2-7     of the principal county; and

 2-8                 (3)  one member, who serves as presiding officer of the

 2-9     board, appointed by a majority of the board.

2-10           (f)  In an authority that has a principal municipality with a

2-11     population of more than 1.2 million, the additional members are

2-12     appointed as follows:

2-13                 (1)  three members appointed by a panel composed of:

2-14                       (A)  the mayors of the municipalities in the

2-15     authority, excluding the mayor of the principal municipality; and

2-16                       (B)  the county judges of the counties having

2-17     unincorporated area in the authority, excluding the county judge of

2-18     the principal county; and

2-19                 (2)  three members appointed by the commissioners court

2-20     of the principal county.

2-21           SECTION 3.  The governmental entities entitled to make

2-22     appointments to a board of an authority under Section 451.502(f),

2-23     Transportation Code, as added by this Act, shall make the initial

2-24     appointments as soon as practicable after the effective date of

2-25     this Act.

2-26           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-27           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

 3-1     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-2     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-3     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-4     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.