By Walker                                              H.B. No. 812
         77R1255 GJH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to allowing certain hospital districts to vote for
 1-3     appraisal district directors.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 6.03, Tax Code, is amended by amending
 1-6     Subsections (c) and (e) and by adding Subsection (n) to read as
 1-7     follows:
 1-8           (c)  Members of the board of directors other than a county
 1-9     assessor-collector serving as a nonvoting director are appointed by
1-10     vote of the governing bodies of the incorporated cities and towns,
1-11     the school districts, and, if entitled to vote, the conservation
1-12     and reclamation districts and the hospital districts that
1-13     participate in the district and of the county.  A governing body
1-14     may cast all its votes for one candidate or distribute them among
1-15     candidates for any number of directorships.  Conservation and
1-16     reclamation districts are not entitled to vote unless at least one
1-17     conservation and reclamation district in the district delivers to
1-18     the chief appraiser a written request to nominate and vote on the
1-19     board of directors by June 1 of each odd-numbered year.  On receipt
1-20     of a request, the chief appraiser shall certify a list by June 15
1-21     of all eligible conservation and reclamation districts that are
1-22     imposing taxes and that participate in the district.
1-23           (e)  The chief appraiser shall calculate the number of votes
1-24     to which each taxing unit other than a conservation and reclamation
 2-1     district is entitled and shall deliver written notice to each of
 2-2     those units of its voting entitlement before October 1 of each
 2-3     odd-numbered year.  The chief appraiser shall deliver the notice:
 2-4                 (1)  to the county judge and each commissioner of the
 2-5     county served by the appraisal district;
 2-6                 (2)  to the presiding officer of the governing body of
 2-7     each city or town participating in the appraisal district, to the
 2-8     city manager of each city or town having a city manager, and to the
 2-9     city secretary or clerk, if there is one, of each city or town that
2-10     does not have a city manager; [and]
2-11                 (3)  to the presiding officer of the governing body of
2-12     each hospital district participating in the district that is
2-13     entitled to vote; and
2-14                 (4)  to the presiding officer of the governing body of
2-15     each school district participating in the district and to the
2-16     superintendent of each of those school districts.
2-17           (n)  A hospital district is entitled to vote only if:
2-18                 (1)  the hospital district is located in a county with
2-19     a population of less than 20,000 that is designated in its entirety
2-20     as a medically underserved area by the Texas Department of Health;
2-21     and
2-22                 (2)  the total amount of property taxes imposed in the
2-23     district by the hospital district for the preceding tax year is at
2-24     least 10 percent of the sum of the total amount of property taxes
2-25     imposed in the district for that year by each taxing unit that
2-26     participates in the district.
2-27           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
 3-1           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to the
 3-2     selection of appraisal district directors for terms that begin on
 3-3     or after January 1, 2002.  The change in law made by this Act does
 3-4     not affect appraisal district directors selected for terms that
 3-5     begin before January 1, 2002.