By Brown                                               S.B. No. 816
         76R6333 DWS-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to certain transactions by a gas utility.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 102.051(a), Utilities Code, is amended to
 1-5     read as follows:
 1-6           (a)  Unless a gas utility reports the transaction to the
 1-7     railroad commission within a reasonable time, the gas utility may
 1-8     not:
 1-9                 (1)  sell, acquire, or lease a plant as an operating
1-10     unit or system in this state for a total consideration of more than
1-11     $1 million [$100,000]; or
1-12                 (2)  merge or consolidate with another gas utility
1-13     operating in this state.
1-14           SECTION 2.  Section 102.054, Utilities Code, is repealed.
1-15           SECTION 3.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
1-16     to  a transaction occurring on or after the effective date of this
1-17     Act.  A transaction occurring  before the effective date of this
1-18     Act is governed by the law in effect when the transaction occurred,
1-19     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-20           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-21           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.