By:  Jackson                                          S.B. No. 1896
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to the sale of real property by counties.
 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-3           SECTION 1.  Section 263.008, Local Government Code, is
 1-4     amended to read as follows:
 1-5           Sec. 263.008.  REALTOR AGREEMENTS AND FEES FOR THE SALE OF
 1-6     REAL PROPERTY.  (a)  In this section, "realtor" means a person
 1-7     licensed under The Real Estate License Act (Article 6573a, Vernon's
 1-8     Texas Civil Statutes).
 1-9           (b)  The commissioners court of a county may contract with a
1-10     realtor [person licensed under The Real Estate License Act (Article
1-11     6573a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)] to sell a tract of real
1-12     property that is owned by the county.
1-13           (c) [(b)]  The commissioners court of a county may pay a fee
1-14     if a realtor [person licensed under The Real Estate License Act
1-15     (Article 6573a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)] produces a ready,
1-16     willing, and able buyer to purchase a tract of real property [that
1-17     is owned by the county].
1-18           (d)  If a contract made under Subsection (b) requires a
1-19     realtor to list the tract of real property for sale with a
1-20     multiple-listing service used by other realtors in the county, the
1-21     commissioners court may sell the tract of real property to a ready,
1-22     willing, and able buyer produced by any realtor using the
1-23     multiple-listing service.
1-24           (e)  The commissioners court may sell a tract of real
 2-1     property under this section without complying with the requirements
 2-2     for notice and bidding or conducting a public auction, including
 2-3     the requirements prescribed by Sections 263.001 and 272.001.
 2-4           SECTION 2.  Subsection (a), Section 272.001, Local Government
 2-5     Code, is amended to read as follows:
 2-6           (a)  Except for the types of land and interests covered by
 2-7     Subsection (b), (g), (h), or (i), and except as provided by Section
 2-8     253.008 or 263.008, before land owned by a political subdivision of
 2-9     the state may be sold or exchanged for other land, notice to the
2-10     general public of the offer of the land for sale or exchange must
2-11     be published in a newspaper of general circulation in either the
2-12     county in which the land is located or, if there is no such
2-13     newspaper, in an adjoining county.  The notice must include a
2-14     description of the land, including its location, and the procedure
2-15     by which sealed bids to purchase the land or offers to exchange the
2-16     land may be submitted.  The notice must be published on two
2-17     separate dates and the sale or exchange may not be made until after
2-18     the 14th day after the date of the second publication.
2-19           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-24     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-25     passage, and it is so enacted.