1-1     By:  Lucio                                            S.B. No. 1455

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1997; March 19, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental

 1-4     Relations; April 25, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable

 1-5     Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 2;

 1-6     April 25, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1455                   By:  Lucio

 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-9                                   AN ACT

1-10     relating to the ability of voters in certain counties to petition a

1-11     commissioners court to increase the salary of members of the county

1-12     sheriff's department.

1-13           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-14           SECTION 1.  Subsections (a), (d), (e), and (f), Section

1-15     152.072, Local Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

1-16           (a)  The qualified voters of a county with a population of

1-17     more than 25,000 [30,000] may petition the commissioners court of

1-18     the county to increase the minimum salary of each member of the

1-19     sheriff's department.

1-20           (d)  If the commissioners court chooses to call an election,

1-21     the only issue that may be submitted regarding the salaries of

1-22     members of the sheriff's department is whether the proposed minimum

1-23     salary should be adopted.  The election shall be held on the first

1-24     authorized uniform election date under Chapter 41, Election Code:

1-25                 (1)  [,] that occurs after the 65th day after the date

1-26     the petition was filed; and

1-27                 (2)  on which an election is scheduled to be held

1-28     throughout the county for other purposes.

1-29           (e)  The ballot for the election shall be printed to provide

1-30     for voting for or against the proposition:  "Adoption of the

1-31     proposed minimum salaries of _____________ for members of the

1-32     Sheriff's Department at an annual cost of ______________, which may

1-33     or may not cause an increase in the county ad valorem property

1-34     tax." The proposed salary for each rank, pay grade, or

1-35     classification as stated in the petition and the total annual cost

1-36     of the increases must be inserted in the blank spaces [space].

1-37           (f)  If a majority of the votes cast at the election favor

1-38     the adoption of the proposed minimum salary, the minimum salary

1-39     shall take effect on or before the date specified in the petition

1-40     as the effective date.  If the date on which the results of the

1-41     official canvass of the election returns are announced is after the

1-42     date specified in the petition as the effective date, the minimum

1-43     salary shall take effect beginning with the first full pay period

1-44     that begins after the date on which the election results are

1-45     canvassed.

1-46           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-47     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-48     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-49     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-50     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-51     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-52     passage, and it is so enacted.

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