1-1     By:  Gallego (Senate Sponsor - Madla)                 H.B. No. 1374
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 1999;
 1-3     May 10, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Intergovernmental Relations; May 13, 1999, reported favorably by
 1-5     the following vote:  Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 13, 1999, sent to
 1-6     printer.)
 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-8                                   AN ACT
 1-9     relating to contracts executed by and the election of the board of
1-10     directors of the Val Verde County Hospital District.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 4A(c), Chapter 658, Acts of the 64th
1-13     Legislature, Regular Session, 1975, is amended to read as follows:
1-14           (c)  A declaration of write-in candidacy must be filed with
1-15     the secretary of the board of directors not later than 5 p.m. of
1-16     the 35th [45th] day before election day.  However, if a candidate
1-17     whose name is to appear on the ballot dies or is declared
1-18     ineligible after the 38th [48th] day before election day, a
1-19     declaration of write-in candidacy for the office sought by the
1-20     deceased or ineligible candidate may be filed not later than 5 p.m.
1-21     of the 32nd [42nd] day before election day.
1-22           SECTION 2.  Section 11, Chapter 658, Acts of the 64th
1-23     Legislature, Regular Session, 1975, is amended to read as follows:
1-24           Sec. 11.  The board of directors of such district shall have
1-25     the power to prescribe the method and manner of making purchases
1-26     and expenditures by and for such hospital district, and shall also
1-27     be authorized to prescribe all accounting and control procedures.
1-28     All contracts for construction involving the expenditure of more
1-29     than $15,000 may be made only after advertising in the manner
1-30     provided by Subchapter B, Chapter 271, Local Government Code, or
1-31     all contracts for purchases involving the expenditure of more than
1-32     $15,000 [$5,000] may be made only after advertising in the manner
1-33     provided by Subchapter C, Chapter 262 [252], Local Government Code.
1-34     The provisions of Chapter 2253, Government Code, relating to
1-35     performance and payment bonds, shall apply to construction
1-36     contracts let by the district.  The district may acquire equipment
1-37     for use in its hospital system and mortgage or pledge the property
1-38     so acquired as security for the payment of the purchase price, but
1-39     any such contract shall provide for the entire obligation of the
1-40     district to be retired within five years from the date of the
1-41     contract.  Except as permitted in the preceding sentence and as
1-42     permitted by Sections 7 and 8 of this Act, the district may incur
1-43     no obligation payable from any revenues of the district, taxes or
1-44     otherwise, except those on hand or to be on hand within the then
1-45     current and following fiscal year of the district.
1-46           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-47           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-48     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-49     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-50     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-51     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-52                                  * * * * *