By Wilson                                             H.B. No. 1526
         76R5083 CAG-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the terms of the lease or sale of a political
 1-3     subdivision's stadium or venue to a professional sports team.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 280, Local Government Code, is amended by
 1-6     adding Section 280.003 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 280.003.  AGREEMENTS WITH PROFESSIONAL SPORT FRANCHISES
 1-8     FOR USE OF VENUE BUILT BY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.  (a)  In this
 1-9     section, "venue" has the meaning assigned by Section 334.001.
1-10           (b)  A political subdivision that builds or owns a venue may
1-11     lease or sell the venue to a professional sports team only if:
1-12                 (1)  the political subdivision receives, in addition to
1-13     any other consideration, a 10 percent ownership interest in the
1-14     professional sports team; and
1-15                 (2)  the professional sports team agrees to make the
1-16     records of the team open for inspection in the same manner as the
1-17     records of the political subdivision.
1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
1-19     applies only to an agreement made on or after September 1, 1999,
1-20     for the lease or sale of a venue to a professional sports team by a
1-21     political subdivision. An agreement made before September 1, 1999,
1-22     for the lease or sale of a venue to a professional sports team by a
1-23     political subdivision is governed by the law as it existed
1-24     immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is
 2-1     continued in effect for that purpose.
 2-2           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.