By Williams                                           H.B. No. 2141
         76R3360 WP-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to disadvantaged county designation for purposes of
 1-3     financing a highway project.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 222.053(a), Transportation Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  In this section, "economically disadvantaged county"
 1-8     means a county that has a per capita taxable property value that is
 1-9     less than one-half the average per capita taxable property value of
1-10     counties in the state, or in comparison to other counties in the
1-11     state has:
1-12                 (1)  below average per capita taxable property value;
1-13                 (2)  below average per capita income; and
1-14                 (3)  above average unemployment.
1-15           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-16           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.