1-1     By:  Bivins                                           S.B. No. 1343
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 11, 1999; March 15, 1999, read
 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 6, 1999,
 1-4     reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 1;
 1-5     April 6, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the issuance of bonds to finance or refinance certain
 1-9     facilities used by an open-enrollment charter school.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 53.02, Education Code, is amended by
1-12     adding Subdivision (13) to read as follows:
1-13                 (13)  "Authorized charter school" means an
1-14     open-enrollment charter school that holds a charter granted under
1-15     Subchapter D, Chapter 12.
1-16           SECTION 2.  Section 53.48, Education Code, is amended to read
1-17     as follows:
1-18           Sec. 53.48.  BONDS FOR ACCREDITED PRIMARY OR SECONDARY
1-19     SCHOOLS.  In the same manner that a corporation may issue bonds
1-20     under this chapter for an institution of higher education, a
1-21     corporation created under Section 53.35(b) may issue bonds to
1-22     finance or refinance educational facilities or housing facilities
1-23     to be used by an accredited primary or secondary school or by an
1-24     authorized charter school.
1-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-28     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-29     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-30     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-31     passage, and it is so enacted.
1-32                                  * * * * *