By Madden                                              H.B. No. 310
         76R1591 DRH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to providing a criminal penalty for failure of a county
 1-3     chair to perform required duties under the Election Code.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 161, Election Code, is amended by adding
 1-6     Section 161.0091 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 161.0091.  COUNTY CHAIR SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PENALTY.
 1-8     (a)  A county chair commits an offense if the person knowingly
 1-9     fails to perform a duty placed by this code on the county chair.
1-10           (b)  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
1-11           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-12           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.