By Bonnen                                             H.B. No. 2110
         76R2227 PAM-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the provision of insurance coverage for county officers
 1-3     and employees.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 157, Local Government Code,
 1-6     is amended by adding Section 157.043 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 157.043.  GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE FOR COUNTY
 1-8     OFFICIALS.  (a)  In this section, "county officer or employee"
 1-9     includes a county or precinct peace officer, the district attorney,
1-10     or an officer of a special purpose district located in whole or in
1-11     part in the county.
1-12           (b)  The commissioners court of a county may obtain insurance
1-13     or similar coverage from a governmental pool operating under
1-14     Chapter 119 or a self-insurance fund or risk retention group
1-15     operating under Chapter 1084, Acts of the 70th Legislature, Regular
1-16     Session, 1987 (Article 715c, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), for a
1-17     county officer or employee, insuring the officer or employee from
1-18     liability for losses arising from the performance of official
1-19     duties by the officer or duties of employment by the employee,
1-20     including losses resulting from errors or omissions of the officer
1-21     or employee or from crime, dishonesty, or theft.
1-22           (c)  An insurance policy purchased under Subsection (b) may
1-23     be a blanket insurance policy covering some or all county officers
1-24     or employees.  The commissioners court may self-insure for part or
 2-1     all of any deductible required under a blanket insurance policy.  A
 2-2     blanket insurance policy purchased under this subsection may be
 2-3     used to satisfy any requirement for insurance required of a county
 2-4     officer by any law.
 2-5           (d)  This section is cumulative of other statutory, common
 2-6     law, or constitutional provisions.
 2-7           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-8           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.