1-1     By:  Carona                                            S.B. No. 204
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 20, 1999; January 28, 1999,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental
 1-4     Relations; February 15, 1999, reported favorably by the following
 1-5     vote:  Yeas 4, Nays 0; February 15, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to permitting county officers and employees to receive
 1-9     reduced airline fares while engaged in official county business.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Subsection (e), Section 2171.055, Government
1-12     Code, is amended to read as follows:
1-13           (e)  A county officer or employee who is engaged in official
1-14     county business may participate in the commission's contract for
1-15     travel services for the purpose of obtaining reduced airline fares.
1-16     A county sheriff or deputy sheriff or juvenile probation officer
1-17     who is transporting a state prisoner under a felony warrant may
1-18     participate in the commission's contract for travel services for
1-19     purposes of obtaining reduced airline fares for the law enforcement
1-20     or probation officer and the prisoner.  The commission may charge a
1-21     participating county a fee not to exceed the costs incurred by the
1-22     commission in providing services under this subsection.  The
1-23     commission shall periodically review fees and shall adjust them as
1-24     needed to ensure recovery of costs incurred in providing services
1-25     to counties under this subsection.  The commission shall adopt
1-26     rules and make or amend contracts as necessary to administer this
1-27     subsection.
1-28           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-29           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-30     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-31     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-32     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-33     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-34                                  * * * * *