HBA-JEK H.B. 2321 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2321
By: Coleman
Urban Affairs
4/1/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Houston's mayor and City Council members are currently limited to three
two-year terms of service.  These term limits could have the effect of
diminishing the practical experience of Houston's governing officials,
entice officials to rely on special-interest groups, and impede officials'
ability to embark on new projects and complete previous initiatives.  House
Bill 2321 requires the mayor of a municipality of 1.8 million or more to
order an election on the question of limiting a person's service on the
governing body of the municipality to five terms. 

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

House Bill 2321 amends the Local Government Code to require the mayor of a
municipality of 1.8 million or more to order an election in the
municipality for November 6, 2001 on the question of imposing new term
limits on the members of the governing body of the municipality, including
the mayor.  If a majority of the votes favor the proposition, the number of
cumulative terms a person is authorized to serve on the governing body of
the municipality is limited to five terms.   

The bill counts a term or partial term to which a member was elected prior
to the term limit election as part of the limited term length only if the
member served one-half or more of the term before the term limit election.
The bill authorizes a person who has served five cumulative terms on the
governing body to again be a candidate to the governing body if the person
submits a petition signed by the lesser of five percent of the number of
registered voters of that territory or 20,000 voters. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.