By:  Ellis                                            S.B. No. 1720

         Line and page numbers may not match official copy.

         Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to election precincts and polling places for elections

 1-2     conducted by large conservation and reclamation districts and the

 1-3     terms and election of the directors of such districts:

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 42, Section 42.002, Election Code is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 42.002.  Required Use of County Precincts.  (a)  The

 1-8     county election precincts are the election precincts for the

 1-9     following elections:

1-10                 (1)  the general election for state and county

1-11     officers;

1-12                 (2)  a special election ordered by the governor;

1-13                 (3)  a primary election; and

1-14                 (4)  a countywide election ordered by the commissioners

1-15     court, county judge, or other county authority, except an election

1-16     subject to Section 42.062(s); and

1-17                 (5)  any election held by a conservation and

1-18     reclamation district created under Art. XVI, Section 59, Texas

1-19     Constitution that has an area of 10,000 acres or more and provides

1-20     household water and sewer utility services.

1-21           (b)  Except as provided by Sections 42.008 and 42.009, county

 2-1     election precincts may not be consolidated for an election.  A

 2-2     conservation and reclamation district described in this section may

 2-3     not consolidate county election precincts for an election.

 2-4           SECTION 2.  Chapter 43, Section 43.004, Election Code, is

 2-5     amended to read as follows:

 2-6           Sec. 43.004.  Designation of Location; Election of Other

 2-7     Political Subdivisions.

 2-8           The governing body of each political subdivision authorized

 2-9     to hold elections, other than a county, shall designate the

2-10     location of the polling place for each of its election precincts.

2-11     The governing body of a conservation and reclamation district

2-12     created under Art. XVI, Sec. 59, Texas Constitution that has an

2-13     area of 10,000 acres or more and provides household water and sewer

2-14     utility services shall designate the same polling place location

2-15     that was designated by each county in the district at the

2-16     immediately preceding county general or special election.

2-17           SECTION 3.  Chapter 49, Sec. 49.103, Water Code, is amended

2-18     to read as follows:

2-19           Sec. 49.103.  Terms of Office of Directors.  (a)  Except as

2-20     provided by Section 49.102, the members of the board of a district

2-21     shall serve for four-year terms.

2-22           (b)  An election shall be held on the uniform election date,

2-23     established by the Election Code, in either January or May of each

2-24     even-numbered year to elect the appropriate number of directors.

2-25           (c)  The permanent directors may assign a position number to

 3-1     each director's office, in which case directors shall thereafter be

 3-2     elected by position and not at large.

 3-3           (d)  A district may provide for the election of all

 3-4     directors, or a majority of directors, from single-member

 3-5     districts, which shall be geographically described within the

 3-6     boundaries of the district in a manner that is equitable for the

 3-7     electors within such districts and within the district generally.

 3-8           (e)  The directors of a district with an area of 10,000 acres

 3-9     or more that provides household water and sewer utility services

3-10     shall be elected from single-member districts for not more than two

3-11     four-year terms.

3-12           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.