AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the power of the Lubbock County Hospital District to

 1-2     provide facilities and hospital-related equipment, supplies, and

 1-3     services to Lubbock County for the use of the medical examiner's

 1-4     office.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 10, Chapter 484, Acts of the 60th

 1-7     Legislature, Regular Session, 1967, is amended to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 10.  CUMULATIVE POWERS.  The board of managers, with the

 1-9     approval of the commissioners court, shall have the power:

1-10           (a)  To construct, condemn and purchase, purchase and

1-11     acquire, lease, add to, maintain, operate, develop and regulate,

1-12     sell, exchange and convey any and all lands, property, property

1-13     rights, equipment, hospital facilities and systems for the

1-14     maintenance of hospitals, buildings, structures, and any and all

1-15     other facilities and services the hospital district may require or

1-16     may have available to sell, lease or exchange;

1-17           (b)  To further effectuate such powers, the board of

1-18     managers, with the approval of the commissioners court, may

1-19     cooperate and contract with the United States government, the State

1-20     of Texas, any municipality or other hospital district, or any

1-21     department of those governing bodies, or with any privately owned

1-22     or operated hospital, corporate or otherwise, which privately owned

1-23     or operated hospital is situated in the hospital district;

 2-1     provided, in the opinion of the board of managers and of the

 2-2     commissioners court, such a contract is deemed expedient and

 2-3     advantageous to the hospital district under existing circumstances,

 2-4     and be for such fair and reasonable compensation and on such other

 2-5     terms and for such length of time as may be deemed to further and

 2-6     assist the hospital district in performing its duty to provide

 2-7     medical and hospital care to needy inhabitants of the county;

 2-8           (c)  To provide office space, equipment, supplies, and

 2-9     services for the use of the county medical examiner's office for

2-10     medical, hospital, and other non-criminal-investigation-related

2-11     purposes.

2-12           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-17     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-18     passage, and it is so enacted.

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1623 passed the Senate on

         April 28, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1623 passed the House on

         May 21, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 145, Nays 0, two present

         not voting.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

         Approved:

         _______________________________

                     Date

         _______________________________

                   Governor