By Lewis of Orange                              H.B. No. 2949

      75R8088 GGS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the residence requirement for the office of mayor of a

 1-3     home-rule municipality.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 141.003, Election Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 141.003.  Age and Residence Requirements for Home-Rule

 1-8     City Office.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), different

 1-9     [Different] age and residence requirements from those prescribed by

1-10     Section 141.001 may be prescribed by a home-rule city charter, but

1-11     a minimum age may not be more than 21 years and a minimum length of

1-12     residence in the state or city may not be more than 12 months

1-13     [immediately] preceding election day.

1-14           (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), a [A] charter

1-15     provision is void if it prescribes a minimum age requirement of

1-16     more than 21 years or a minimum length of residence requirement of

1-17     more than 12 months.

1-18           (c)  A charter may prescribe for the office of mayor a

1-19     minimum length of residence in the city of not more than five years

1-20     preceding election day. A charter provision is void if it

1-21     prescribes a minimum length of residence requirement of more than

1-22     five years for the office of mayor.

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

1-24           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-1     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-2     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-3     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-4     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.