By:  Gallegos                                          S.B. No. 901

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to an entity's eligibility for foreign trade zone or

 1-2     subzone status.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 2, Chapter 1105, Acts of the 70th

 1-5     Legislature, Regular Session, 1987 (Article 1446.01, Vernon's Texas

 1-6     Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 2.  (a)  An eligible corporation or a governmental

 1-8     entity is authorized to submit an application [apply] for and

 1-9     accept a grant to establish, operate, and maintain a foreign trade

1-10     zone and subzones, subject to the requirements of federal law and

1-11     the regulations of the Foreign Trade Zones Board, and to take other

1-12     actions necessary to establish, operate, and maintain the foreign

1-13     trade zone and subzones.

1-14           (b)  The application described by Subsection (a) of this

1-15     section must include a resolution either supporting or opposing the

1-16     application from the governing body of each political subdivision

1-17     that has the authority to tax any of the real property located in

1-18     the geographical area of the proposed foreign trade zone or

1-19     subzone.

1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-21     applies only to an application for a grant to establish, operate,

1-22     and maintain a foreign trade zone or subzone filed on or after that

1-23     date.

 2-1           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

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

 2-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.