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.