Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.

      Line and page numbers may not match official copy.

      By Lewis of Orange                              H.B. No. 3000

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to voter approval of the compensation of members of the

 1-3     governing body of certain municipalities.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  This Act applies to any home rule municipality

 1-6     that:

 1-7                 (1)  operates under the council-manager form of

 1-8     government; and

 1-9                 (2)  operates under a charter that does not prescribe

1-10     the compensation, including the salary, of members of the

1-11     municipality's governing body.

1-12           SECTION 2.  (a)  The ballots for the 1998 general election

1-13     conducted by a municipality subject to this Act shall be prepared

1-14     to permit voting for or against the following proposition: "Setting

1-15     the annual compensation of the mayor of _____ (insert

1-16     municipality's name) at $_____(insert the dollar amount, if any, of

1-17     the mayor's current annual salary and expense allowance) and

1-18     setting the annual compensation of councilmembers of _____(insert

1-19     municipality's name) at $_____(insert the dollar amount, if any, of

1-20     councilmembers' annual salary and expense allowance)."

1-21           (b)  If a majority of the voters voting at the election vote

1-22     in favor of the proposition, the compensation of the mayor and

1-23     councilmembers shall continue at the amounts stated in the

1-24     proposition.  If a majority of the voters voting at the election

 2-1     vote against the proposition, the compensation of the mayor and

 2-2     councilmembers shall, upon certification of the results of the

 2-3     election, be the same as the salary of members of the legislature,

 2-4     not including per-diem compensation.

 2-5           SECTION 3.  Nothing in this Act shall be construed to

 2-6     prohibit the initiation of a charter amendment prescribing the

 2-7     compensation of members of the governing body of a municipality

 2-8     covered under this Act.

 2-9           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-10     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-11     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-12     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-13     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-14     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-15     passage, and it is so enacted.