1-1 By: Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Lindsay) H.B. No. 3299 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 26, 1999; 1-3 April 27, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Intergovernmental Relations; May 6, 1999, reported favorably by the 1-5 following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 6, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the authority of certain hospital districts to enter 1-9 into credit agreements. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Section 1(1), Chapter 656, Acts of the 68th 1-12 Legislature, Regular Session, 1983 (Article 717q, Vernon's Texas 1-13 Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows: 1-14 (1) "Issuer" means (A) any incorporated city operating 1-15 under a home-rule charter adopted pursuant to Article XI, Section 1-16 5, of the Constitution of Texas having a population according to 1-17 the latest federal decennial census of 90,000 or more and having 1-18 outstanding long-term debt secured by the revenues of the public 1-19 utility for which the obligations are being issued which is rated 1-20 by a nationally recognized rating agency for municipal securities 1-21 in one of the four highest rating categories for long-term 1-22 obligations; (B) any conservation and reclamation district created 1-23 and organized as a river authority under and pursuant to Article 1-24 III, Section 52, or Article XVI, Section 59, of the Constitution of 1-25 Texas and by an act of the legislature of the State of Texas; (C) 1-26 any joint powers agency organized and operating pursuant to Chapter 1-27 166, Acts of the 63rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 1-28 1435a, Revised Statutes); (D) any metropolitan rapid transit 1-29 authority or regional transportation authority created, organized, 1-30 and operating pursuant to Chapter 141, Acts of the 63rd 1-31 Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 1118x, Revised 1-32 Statutes) or Chapter 683, Acts of the 66th Legislature, Regular 1-33 Session, 1979 (Article 1118y, Revised Statutes); (E) any 1-34 conservation and reclamation district organized or operating as a 1-35 navigation district under and pursuant to Article III, Section 52, 1-36 or Article XVI, Section 59, of the Constitution of Texas; (F) any 1-37 district organized or operating under and pursuant to Article XVI, 1-38 Section 59, of the Constitution of Texas which has all or part of 1-39 two or more incorporated cities within its boundaries; (G) agencies 1-40 of the State of Texas (including the governing boards of the state 1-41 institutions of higher education); (H) any hospital authority or 1-42 hospital district in a county with a population of more than 2 1-43 million, according to the most recent federal census, or any 1-44 hospital authority in a county that is included, in whole or in 1-45 part, in a standard metropolitan statistical area of this state 1-46 that includes a county with a population of more than 1,800,000, 1-47 that was created or is operating under Chapter 262, Health and 1-48 Safety Code, or Chapter 264, Health and Safety Code; (I) any 1-49 nonprofit corporation organized to exercise the powers of a higher 1-50 education authority under Subsection (e), Section 53.47, Education 1-51 Code; and (J) a county having a population of 2 million or more 1-52 according to the most recent federal census. 1-53 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-54 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-55 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-56 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-57 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-58 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-59 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-60 * * * * *