1-1     By:  Patterson                                         S.B. No. 863

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 28, 1997; March 5, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental

 1-4     Relations; March 24, 1997, reported favorably, as amended, by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; March 24, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                              By:  Lindsay

 1-7     Amend S.B. No. 863 by adding Subsection (d) after Subsection (c) as

 1-8     follows:

 1-9           (d)  If any other type of purchase of the district or port

1-10     authority is subject to the approval of a county auditor, the list

1-11     of routine purchases or contracts must be approved by the county

1-12     auditor before the purchases or contracts may be made.

1-13                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

1-14                                   AN ACT

1-15     relating to precommitment approval for certain purchases of a port

1-16     authority.

1-17           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-18           SECTION 1.  Section 60.403, Water Code, is amended to read as

1-19     follows:

1-20           Sec. 60.403.  CONTRACTS:  PURCHASES.  (a)  A port commission

1-21     or authorized designated officer of the port commission may make

1-22     routine purchases or contracts in an amount not to exceed $25,000.

1-23           (b)  Before a purchase is made, a purchase order or other

1-24     form of precommitment approval must be signed by the executive

1-25     director of the district or the port authority or the authorized

1-26     designated officer.  For routine contracts or purchases, the

1-27     precommitment approval may be in the form of a list of approved

1-28     routine purchases or contracts signed by the executive director.

1-29     The signed list shall remain on file in the offices of the district

1-30     or port authority.

1-31           (c)  A [The] purchase order must be executed in duplicate

1-32     with one copy delivered to the person from whom the purchase is

1-33     made and one copy remaining on file in the district or port

1-34     authority.

1-35           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-36     applies only to a purchase made on or after the effective date of

1-37     this Act.

1-38           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-39     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-40     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-41     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-42     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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