By:  Harris                                           S.B. No. 1840

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to prohibiting certain prosecuting attorneys from running

 1-2     for an elected judicial office.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 43, Government Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 43.005 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 43.005.  PROHIBITION ON RUNNING FOR ELECTED JUDICIAL

 1-7     OFFICE IN CERTAIN COUNTIES.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection

 1-8     (b), a district attorney or an assistant district attorney serving

 1-9     in a county with a population of more than one million in which the

1-10     principal municipality has a population of less than 900,000 is

1-11     prohibited from running for an elected judicial office while

1-12     serving as district attorney or assistant district attorney.

1-13           (b)  A district attorney may grant a leave of absence to an

1-14     assistant district attorney for the purpose of running for an

1-15     elected judicial office.

1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.