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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