By Gallego                                            H.J.R. No. 29
         76R546 MLS-D                           
                                 A JOINT RESOLUTION
 1-1     proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to
 1-2     provide that a state board, commission, or other agency shall be
 1-3     governed by a board composed of an odd number of three or more
 1-4     members.
 1-5           BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 30a, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, is
 1-7     amended to read as follows:
 1-8           Sec. 30a.  The Legislature may provide by law that the
 1-9     [members of the] Board of Regents of the State University and
1-10     boards of trustees or managers of the educational, eleemosynary,
1-11     and penal institutions of the State, and such boards as have been,
1-12     or may hereafter be established by law, may be composed of an odd
1-13     number of three or more members who serve for a [hold their
1-14     respective offices for the] term of  six (6) years, with one-third,
1-15     or as near as one-third as possible, of the members of such boards
1-16     to be elected or appointed every two (2) years in such manner as
1-17     the Legislature may determine;  vacancies in such offices to be
1-18     filled as may be provided by law, and the Legislature shall enact
1-19     suitable laws to give effect to this section.
1-20           SECTION 2.  The following temporary provision is added to the
1-21     Texas Constitution:
1-22           TEMPORARY PROVISION.  (a)  This temporary provision applies
1-23     to the amendment to Section 30a, Article XVI, of this constitution,
1-24     proposed by the 76th Legislature, that provides that the governing
 2-1     body of a state agency may be composed of an odd number of three or
 2-2     more members.  This provision expires September 1, 2005.
 2-3           (b)  The legislature shall provide by law for the change in
 2-4     composition of the governing body of a state agency that is
 2-5     composed in accordance with Section 30a, Article XVI, of this
 2-6     constitution, as added in 1912, but that is not composed in
 2-7     accordance with the amendment to that section.  Laws enacted by the
 2-8     legislature under this subsection shall provide that the change in
 2-9     composition into a form allowed under this constitution will take
2-10     place not later than September 1, 2003.
2-11           (c)  The governing body of a state agency composed in
2-12     accordance with Section 30a, Article XVI, of this constitution, as
2-13     added in 1912, but that is not composed in accordance with the
2-14     amendment to that section, may continue to act as the governing
2-15     body until a quorum of the members of the governing body who take
2-16     office under a law adopted under Subsection (b) of this section
2-17     have qualified.
2-18           SECTION 3.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
2-19     submitted to the voters at an election to be held on November 2,
2-20     1999.  The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against
2-21     the proposition: "The constitutional amendment authorizing the
2-22     legislature to provide that a state board, commission, or other
2-23     agency shall be governed by a board composed of an odd number of
2-24     three or more members."