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.