By Jones of Lubbock                                    H.B. No. 644
         77R859 SMJ-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to an election to abolish a county's salary grievance
 1-3     committee.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 152, Local Government Code,
 1-6     is amended by adding Section 152.0165 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 152.0165.  ELECTION TO ABOLISH SALARY GRIEVANCE
 1-8     COMMITTEE.  (a)  The commissioners court by order may call an
 1-9     election on the question of whether the county's salary grievance
1-10     committee should be abolished.
1-11           (b)  The election shall be held on the first authorized
1-12     uniform election date prescribed by Chapter 41, Election Code, that
1-13     occurs after the date the commissioners court calls the election
1-14     and that allows sufficient time to comply with the other
1-15     requirements of law.
1-16           (c)  The ballot for the election shall be printed to provide
1-17     for voting for or against the proposition:  "Abolition of the
1-18     county salary grievance committee."
1-19           (d)  If a majority of the qualified voters voting on the
1-20     proposition at the election approve the proposition, the
1-21     commissioners court by order shall abolish the salary grievance
1-22     committee.  Except as provided by Subsection (e), the abolition
1-23     takes effect immediately.  A copy of the order abolishing the
1-24     committee shall be placed in the minutes of the court's
 2-1     proceedings.
 2-2           (e)  If a county or precinct officer requests a hearing under
 2-3     Section 152.016 on or before the date of an election approving the
 2-4     abolition of the salary grievance committee, the abolition may not
 2-5     take effect until the committee completes its functions related to
 2-6     the hearing.
 2-7           SECTION 2. Section 152.014(a), Local Government Code, is
 2-8     amended to read as follows:
 2-9           (a)  Subject to Section 152.0165, in [In] each county there
2-10     is a salary grievance committee composed of the county judge and:
2-11                 (1)  the sheriff, county tax assessor-collector, county
2-12     treasurer, county clerk, district clerk, county attorney or
2-13     criminal district attorney, and the number of public members
2-14     necessary to provide nine voting members; or
2-15                 (2)  nine public members, if the commissioners court
2-16     votes in January each year to have nine public members.
2-17           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-18     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-19     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-20     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-21     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.