HBA-CMT C.S. H.B. 351 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S. H.B. 351 By: Truitt County Affairs 3/4/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, commissioners court meetings are required to be held at the county seat, either in the courthouse itself, in an auxiliary courthouse or annex, or a county building that houses offices, or the district courts. These meetings may occur outside the county seat if they are at the regular meeting place of another political subdivision in the county or a building owned by the county, and the commissioners court meets with the governing body of that subdivision. The commissioners court can meet outside of the county seat, but still in the county, if the meeting is in a county-owned building or a building owned by a political subdivision located in the county and the place where the regular meetings are held cannot accommodate the number of persons expected to attend a particular meeting. C.S.H.B. 351 authorizes the commissioner's court of a county to, under certain conditions, hold a special term of the court in a municipality other than the county seat, but still within the boundaries of the county. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 351 amends the Local Government Code to authorize the county judge or three county commissioners to call a special term of the court at a meeting place located in the county and outside the county seat if the commissioners court agrees to meet in the municipality and the meeting place is in a building providing public access that can accommodate the number of persons expected to attend. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 351 differs from the original to provide that only a special term of the commissioners court may be held at a place outside the county seat.