By:  Brown                                             S.B. No. 816
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to certain transactions by a gas utility.
 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 102.051, Utilities Code,
 1-4     is amended to read as follows:
 1-5           (a)  Unless a gas utility reports the transaction to the
 1-6     railroad commission within a reasonable time, the gas utility may
 1-7     not:
 1-8                 (1)  sell, acquire, or lease a plant as an operating
 1-9     unit or system in this state for a total consideration of more than
1-10     $1 million [$100,000]; or
1-11                 (2)  merge or consolidate with another gas utility
1-12     operating in this state.
1-13           SECTION 2.  Section 102.054, Utilities Code, is repealed.
1-14           SECTION 3.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
1-15     to  a transaction occurring on or after the effective date of this
1-16     Act.  A transaction occurring  before the effective date of this
1-17     Act is governed by the law in effect when the transaction occurred,
1-18     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-19           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-20           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.