1-1     By:  Keffer (Senate Sponsor - Sibley)                 H.B. No. 1889
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House March 29, 1999;
 1-3     March 30, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Intergovernmental Relations; April 22, 1999, reported favorably by
 1-5     the following vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 22, 1999, sent to
 1-6     printer.)
 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-8                                   AN ACT
 1-9     relating to the dissolution of the Ranger Hospital District of
1-10     Eastland County, Texas.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1.  Chapter 93, Acts of the 61st Legislature, Regular
1-13     Session, 1969, is amended by adding Sections 21A and 21B to read as
1-14     follows:
1-15           Sec. 21A.  (a)  The district may be dissolved as provided by
1-16     this section.
1-17           (b)  The board of directors may order an election on the
1-18     question of dissolving the district and disposing of the district's
1-19     assets and obligations.  The board of directors shall order an
1-20     election if the board of directors receives a petition requesting
1-21     an election that is signed by a number of residents of the district
1-22     equal to  at least 15 percent of the registered voters in the
1-23     district.
1-24           (c)  The election shall be held not later than the 60th day
1-25     after the date on which the election is ordered.  Section
1-26     41.001(a), Election Code, does not apply to an election ordered
1-27     under this section.
1-28           (d)  The ballot for the election shall be printed to permit
1-29     voting for or against the proposition:  "The dissolution of the
1-30     Ranger Hospital District of Eastland County, Texas."  The election
1-31     shall be held in accordance with the applicable provisions of the
1-32     Election Code.
1-33           (e)  If a majority of the votes in the election favor
1-34     dissolution, the board of directors shall find that the district is
1-35     dissolved.  If a majority of the votes in the election do not favor
1-36     dissolution, the board of directors shall continue to administer
1-37     the district and another election on the question of dissolution
1-38     may not be held before the first anniversary of the most recent
1-39     election to dissolve the district.
1-40           (f)  If a majority of the votes in the election favor
1-41     dissolution, the board of directors shall transfer the land,
1-42     buildings, improvements, equipment, and other assets that belong to
1-43     the district to Eastland County or another governmental entity in
1-44     the district or shall administer the property, assets, and debts in
1-45     accordance with Section 21B of this Act.  If the district transfers
1-46     the land, buildings, improvements, equipment, and other assets to
1-47     Eastland County or another governmental entity, the county or
1-48     entity assumes all debts and obligations of the district at the
1-49     time of the transfer and the district is dissolved.
1-50           Sec. 21B.  (a)  If the board of directors finds that the
1-51     district is dissolved but does not transfer the land, buildings,
1-52     improvements, equipment, and other assets to Eastland County or
1-53     another governmental entity in the district, the board of directors
1-54     shall continue to control and administer the property, debts, and
1-55     assets of the district until all funds have been disposed of and
1-56     all district debts have been paid or settled.
1-57           (b)  After the board of directors finds that the district is
1-58     dissolved, the board of directors shall:
1-59                 (1)  determine the debt owed by the district; and
1-60                 (2)  impose on the property included in the district's
1-61     tax rolls a tax that is in proportion of the debt to the property
1-62     value.
1-63           (c)  The board of directors may institute a suit to enforce
1-64     payment of taxes and to foreclose liens to secure the payment of
 2-1     taxes due the district.
 2-2           (d)  When all outstanding debts and obligations of the
 2-3     district are paid, the board of directors shall order the secretary
 2-4     to return the pro rata share of all unused tax money to each
 2-5     district taxpayer.  A taxpayer may request that the taxpayer's
 2-6     share of surplus tax money be credited to the taxpayer's county
 2-7     taxes.  If a taxpayer requests the credit, the board of directors
 2-8     shall direct the secretary to transmit the funds to the county tax
 2-9     assessor-collector.
2-10           (e)  After the district has paid all its debts and has
2-11     disposed of all its assets and funds as prescribed by this section,
2-12     the board of directors shall file a written report with the
2-13     commissioners court of Eastland County setting forth a summary of
2-14     the board of directors' actions in dissolving the district.  Not
2-15     later than the 10th day after it receives the report and determines
2-16     that the requirements of this section have been fulfilled, the
2-17     commissioners court shall enter an order dissolving the district.
2-18           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-23     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-24     passage, and it is so enacted.
2-25                                  * * * * *