By Truitt                                              H.B. No. 351
         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 351:
         By Shields                                         C.S.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 municipality other than the county
 1-4     seat.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1. Section 81.005(b), Local Government Code, is
 1-7     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.
1-11                 (1)  a special term of the court may be held at a
1-12     meeting place located in the county and outside the county seat if:
1-13                       (A)  the commissioners court agrees to meet in
1-14     the municipality; and
1-15                       (B)  the meeting place in the building providing
1-16     public access that can accomodate the number of persons expected to
1-17     attend the meeting.
1-18           (c)  Except as provided by Subsection (f) of this section,
1-19     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.