By Solis of Cameron                                   H.B. No. 2388
         76R6063 SMJ-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the sale or lease by a county of real property in
 1-3     connection with certain economic development programs.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 381.004, Local Government Code, is
 1-6     amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (f) and
 1-7     (g) to read as follows:
 1-8           (c)  The commissioners court may:
 1-9                 (1)  contract with another entity for the
1-10     administration of the program;
1-11                 (2)  authorize the program to be administered on the
1-12     basis of county commissioner precincts;
1-13                 (3)  use county employees, real property, or funds for
1-14     the program; and
1-15                 (4)  accept contributions, gifts, or other resources to
1-16     develop and administer the program.
1-17           (f)  The commissioners court may sell or lease real property
1-18     of the county for use in a program established under this section.
1-19     In selling or  leasing the property, the commissioners court may
1-20     negotiate directly with a business participating in the program.  A
1-21     sale or lease of real property under this subsection is exempt from
1-22     the requirements of Sections 263.001, 263.007, and 272.001(a).
1-23           (g)  The commissioners court may sell real property under
1-24     Subsection (f) for an amount less than the appraised fair market
 2-1     value of the property only as part of a transaction that allows the
 2-2     county to recover benefits of or the value of the benefits of the
 2-3     property's use if the business that purchases the property fails to
 2-4     comply with the standards of a program established under this
 2-5     section.
 2-6           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
 2-7     to an agreement for the sale or lease of real property of a county
 2-8     that is entered into on or after the effective date of this Act.
 2-9     An agreement for the sale or lease of real property of a county
2-10     that is entered into before the effective date of this Act is
2-11     governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective
2-12     date, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
2-13           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-18     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-19     passage, and it is so enacted.
2-20                          COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1
2-21           Amend H.B. 2388 on page 1, line 18, between "section" and the
2-22     period, by inserting "if the county acquired the property on or
2-23     before September 1, 1999".
2-24                                                                    Luna