By Nelson                                               S.B. No. 44

      75R1597 DRH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to primary election dates and procedures and related

 1-3     dates.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 41.001(a), Election Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           (a)  Except as otherwise provided by this subchapter, each

 1-8     general or special election in this state shall be held on one of

 1-9     the following dates:

1-10                 (1)  the third Saturday in January;

1-11                 (2)  the fourth Saturday in March [first Saturday in

1-12     May];

1-13                 (3)  the second Saturday in August; or

1-14                 (4)  the first Tuesday after the first Monday in

1-15     November.

1-16           SECTION 2.  Section 41.0052(a), Election Code, is amended to

1-17     read as follows:

1-18           (a)  The governing body of a political subdivision other than

1-19     a county may, not later than December 31, 1997 [1993], change the

1-20     date on which it holds its general election for officers to another

1-21     authorized uniform election date.  An election on the new date may

1-22     not be held before 1998 [1994].

1-23           SECTION 3.  Sections 41.007(a), (b), and (c), Election Code,

1-24     are amended to read as follows:

 2-1           (a)  The general primary election date is the first Tuesday

 2-2     in May [second Tuesday in March] in each even-numbered year.

 2-3           (b)  The runoff primary election date is the first Saturday

 2-4     in June [second Tuesday in April] following the general primary

 2-5     election.

 2-6           (c)  The presidential primary election date is the first

 2-7     Tuesday in May [second Tuesday in March] in each presidential

 2-8     election year.

 2-9           SECTION 4.  Section 172.023(a), Election Code, is amended to

2-10     read as follows:

2-11           (a)  An application for a place on the general primary

2-12     election ballot must be filed not later than 6 p.m. on the first

2-13     Monday in February [January 2] in the primary election year unless

2-14     the filing deadline is extended under Subchapter C.

2-15           SECTION 5.  The term of a person who is serving as a county

2-16     or precinct chairman of a political party on the effective date of

2-17     this Act ends on the 20th day after the first Saturday in June

2-18     1998.

2-19           SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-20           SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.