By Truitt H.B. No. 351
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the authority of the commissioners court of a county to
1-3 meet and transact business in a location other than the county
1-4 seat.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Sections 81.005(b) and (c), Local Government Code,
1-7 are amended to read as follows:
1-8 (b) The county judge or three county commissioners may call
1-9 a special term of the court. A special term may continue until the
1-10 court's business is completed. A special term of the court may be
1-11 held at a meeting place located in the county and outside the
1-12 county seat if:
1-13 (1) the commissioners court agrees to meet in that
1-14 location; and
1-15 (2) the meeting place in the building provides public
1-16 access that can accommodate the number of persons expected to
1-17 attend the meeting.
1-18 (c) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and [Subsection]
1-19 (f) of this section, the term shall be held at:
1-20 (1) the county seat at the courthouse;
1-21 (2) an auxiliary courthouse, courthouse annex, or
1-22 another building in the county acquired by the county under Chapter
1-23 292, 293, or 305 or another law, that houses county administration
1-24 offices or county or district courts, located inside the municipal
2-1 limits of the county seat;
2-2 (3) the regular meeting place of another political
2-3 subdivision if:
2-4 (A) the commissioners court meets with the
2-5 governing body of that political subdivision located wholly or
2-6 partly within the county; and
2-7 (B) the regular meeting place of that political
2-8 subdivision is in the county;
2-9 (4) a meeting place in the county in a building owned
2-10 by another political subdivision located wholly or partly in the
2-11 county if:
2-12 (A) the commissioners court meets with the
2-13 governing body of that political subdivision;
2-14 (B) the places where the commissioners court and
2-15 the governing body of the political subdivision regularly hold
2-16 their meetings are not large enough to accommodate the number of
2-17 persons expected to attend the meeting; and
2-18 (C) the meeting place in the building owned by
2-19 the political subdivision is large enough to accommodate the
2-20 expected number of persons; or
2-21 (5) a meeting place in the county in a building owned
2-22 by the county if:
2-23 (A) the place where the commissioners court
2-24 regularly holds its meetings is not large enough to accommodate the
2-25 number of persons expected to attend the meeting; and
2-26 (B) the meeting place in the building owned by
2-27 the county is large enough to accommodate the expected number of
3-1 persons.
3-2 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
3-3 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
3-4 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
3-5 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
3-6 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.