1-1 By: Truitt (Senate Sponsor - Nelson) H.B. No. 351
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 2, 2001;
1-3 April 3, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on
1-4 Intergovernmental Relations; May 10, 2001, reported favorably by
1-5 the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 10, 2001, sent to
1-6 printer.)
1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-8 AN ACT
1-9 relating to the authority of the commissioners court of a county to
1-10 meet and transact business in a location other than the county
1-11 seat.
1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-13 SECTION 1. Sections 81.005(b) and (c), Local Government Code,
1-14 are amended to read as follows:
1-15 (b) The county judge or three county commissioners may call
1-16 a special term of the court. A special term may continue until the
1-17 court's business is completed. A special term of the court may be
1-18 held at a meeting place located in the county and outside the
1-19 county seat if:
1-20 (1) the commissioners court agrees to meet in that
1-21 location; and
1-22 (2) the meeting place in the building provides public
1-23 access that can accommodate the number of persons expected to
1-24 attend the meeting.
1-25 (c) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and [Subsection]
1-26 (f) of this section, the term shall be held at:
1-27 (1) the county seat at the courthouse;
1-28 (2) an auxiliary courthouse, courthouse annex, or
1-29 another building in the county acquired by the county under Chapter
1-30 292, 293, or 305 or another law, that houses county administration
1-31 offices or county or district courts, located inside the municipal
1-32 limits of the county seat;
1-33 (3) the regular meeting place of another political
1-34 subdivision if:
1-35 (A) the commissioners court meets with the
1-36 governing body of that political subdivision located wholly or
1-37 partly within the county; and
1-38 (B) the regular meeting place of that political
1-39 subdivision is in the county;
1-40 (4) a meeting place in the county in a building owned
1-41 by another political subdivision located wholly or partly in the
1-42 county if:
1-43 (A) the commissioners court meets with the
1-44 governing body of that political subdivision;
1-45 (B) the places where the commissioners court and
1-46 the governing body of the political subdivision regularly hold
1-47 their meetings are not large enough to accommodate the number of
1-48 persons expected to attend the meeting; and
1-49 (C) the meeting place in the building owned by
1-50 the political subdivision is large enough to accommodate the
1-51 expected number of persons; or
1-52 (5) a meeting place in the county in a building owned
1-53 by the county if:
1-54 (A) the place where the commissioners court
1-55 regularly holds its meetings is not large enough to accommodate the
1-56 number of persons expected to attend the meeting; and
1-57 (B) the meeting place in the building owned by
1-58 the county is large enough to accommodate the expected number of
1-59 persons.
1-60 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
1-61 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
1-62 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
1-63 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
1-64 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
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