By Carter, Hawley, Clark, Chisum                      H.B. No. 2746
         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2746:
         By Ramsay                                         C.S.H.B. No. 2746
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to emergency services and rural fire prevention districts;
 1-3     providing for a tax.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Section 775.013(a), Health and Safety Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  The petition prescribed by Section 775.011 or 775.012
 1-8     must show:
 1-9                 (1)  that the district is to be created and is to
1-10     operate under  Article III, Section 48-e, [of the] Texas
1-11     Constitution[, as proposed by S.J.R. No. 27, Acts of the 70th
1-12     Legislature, Regular Session, 1987, and adopted by the voters at an
1-13     election held November 3, 1987];
1-14                 (2)  the name of the proposed district;
1-15                 (3)  the proposed district's boundaries as designated
1-16     by metes and bounds or other sufficient legal description;
1-17                 (4)  the services that the proposed district will
1-18     provide;
1-19                 (5)  that the creation of [none of the territory in]
1-20     the proposed district complies with Sections 775.020 and 775.0205
1-21     [is included in another emergency services district]; and
1-22                 (6) [(5)]  the mailing address of each petitioner.
1-23           SECTION 2. Section 775.020, Health and Safety Code, is
1-24     amended to read as follows:
 2-1           Sec. 775.020.  OVERLAPPING DISTRICTS LOCATED WHOLLY IN
 2-2     POPULOUS COUNTY. (a)  This section applies only to a district
 2-3     located wholly in a county with a population of more than three
 2-4     million.
 2-5           (b)  If the territory in one or more districts overlaps, the
 2-6     commissioners court of the county in which the most recently
 2-7     created district is located by order shall exclude the overlapping
 2-8     territory from that district.
 2-9           (c) [(b)]  For purposes of this section, a district is
2-10     created on the date on which the election approving its creation
2-11     was held. If the elections approving the creation of two or more
2-12     districts are held on the same date, the most recently created
2-13     district is the district for which the hearing regarding approval
2-14     of the petition for creation of the district [required by Section
2-15     775.016] was most recently held.
2-16           (d) [(c)]  The creation of a district with boundaries that
2-17     overlap the boundaries of another district does not affect the
2-18     validity of either district.
2-19           SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 775, Health and Safety Code,
2-20     is amended by adding Section 775.0205 to read as follows:
2-21           Sec. 775.0205.  OVERLAPPING DISTRICTS. (a)  If the territory
2-22     in a district created under this chapter overlaps with the
2-23     boundaries of another district created under this chapter, a
2-24     district created under Chapter 776, or a rural fire prevention
2-25     district created under Chapter 794, the most recently created
2-26     district may not provide services in the overlapping territory that
2-27     duplicate the services provided by the other district.
 3-1           (b)  If the territory in more than two districts overlaps,
 3-2     the commissioners court of the county in which the most recently
 3-3     created district is located by order shall exclude the overlapping
 3-4     territory from that district.
 3-5           (c)  For purposes of this section, a district is created on
 3-6     the date on which the election approving its creation was held.  If
 3-7     the elections approving the creation of two or more districts are
 3-8     held on the same date, the most recently created district is the
 3-9     district for which the hearing regarding approval of the petition
3-10     for creation of the district was most recently held.
3-11           (d)  The creation of a district with boundaries that overlap
3-12     the boundaries of another district does not affect the validity of
3-13     either district.
3-14           (e)  This section does not apply to a district located wholly
3-15     in a county with a population of more than three million.
3-16           SECTION 4. Section 775.023(b), Health and Safety Code, is
3-17     amended to read as follows:
3-18           (b)  The petition must show:
3-19                 (1)  that the district is to be created and is to
3-20     operate under Section 48-e, Article III, Texas Constitution[, as
3-21     proposed by S.J.R. No. 27, Acts of the 70th Legislature, Regular
3-22     Session, 1987, and adopted by the voters at an election held
3-23     November 3, 1987];
3-24                 (2)  the name of the proposed [emergency services]
3-25     district;
3-26                 (3)  the proposed [emergency services] district's
3-27     boundaries as designated by metes and bounds or other sufficient
 4-1     legal description;
 4-2                 (4)  the name of each rural fire prevention district
 4-3     that exists in the territory encompassed by the boundaries of the
 4-4     proposed [emergency services] district and that is proposed to be
 4-5     dissolved;
 4-6                 (5)  the services that the proposed district will
 4-7     provide;
 4-8                 (6)  that the creation of the proposed [none of the
 4-9     territory in the emergency services] district complies with Section
4-10     775.0205 [is included in another emergency services district]; and
4-11                 (7) [(6)]  the mailing address of each petitioner.
4-12           SECTION 5. Section 776.013, Health and Safety Code, is
4-13     amended to read as follows:
4-14           Sec. 776.013.  CONTENTS OF PETITION. The petition for the
4-15     creation of a district must show [contain]:
4-16                 (1)  [a statement] that the district is to be created
4-17     and is to operate under Article III, Section 48-e, [of the] Texas
4-18     Constitution[, as proposed by S.J.R. No. 27, Acts of the 70th
4-19     Legislature, Regular Session, 1987, and adopted by the voters at an
4-20     election held November 3, 1987];
4-21                 (2)  the name of the proposed district;
4-22                 (3)  the proposed district's boundaries as designated
4-23     by metes and bounds or other sufficient legal description;
4-24                 (4)  the services that the proposed district will
4-25     provide;
4-26                 (5)  [a statement] that the creation of [none of the
4-27     territory in] the proposed district complies with Section 776.021
 5-1     [is included in another emergency services district];
 5-2                 (6) [(5)]  the mailing address of each petitioner; and
 5-3                 (7) [(6)]  an agreement signed by at least two
 5-4     petitioners that obligates them to pay not more than $150 of the
 5-5     costs incident to the formation of the district, including the
 5-6     costs of publishing notices, election costs, and other necessary
 5-7     and incidental expenses.
 5-8           SECTION 6. Section 776.021, Health and Safety Code, is
 5-9     amended to read as follows:
5-10           Sec. 776.021.  OVERLAPPING DISTRICTS. (a)  If the territory
5-11     in a district created under this chapter overlaps with the
5-12     boundaries of another district created under this chapter, a
5-13     district created under Chapter 775, or a rural fire prevention
5-14     district created under Chapter 794, the most recently created
5-15     district may not provide services in the overlapping territory that
5-16     duplicate the services provided by the other district.
5-17           (b)  If the territory in [one or] more than two districts
5-18     overlaps, the commissioners court of the county in which the most
5-19     recently created district is located by order shall exclude the
5-20     overlapping territory from that district.
5-21           (c) [(b)]  For purposes of this section, a district is
5-22     created on the date on which the election confirming its creation
5-23     was held. If the elections confirming the creation of two or more
5-24     districts are held on the same date, the most recently created
5-25     district is the district for which the hearing required by Section
5-26     776.016 was most recently held.
5-27           (d) [(c)]  The creation of [fact that] a district [is
 6-1     created] with boundaries that overlap the boundaries of another
 6-2     district does not affect the validity of either district.
 6-3           SECTION 7. Section 794.013(a), Health and Safety Code, is
 6-4     amended to read as follows:
 6-5           (a)  The petition prescribed by Section 794.011 or 794.012
 6-6     must show:
 6-7                 (1)  that the district is to be created and is to
 6-8     operate under Article III, Section 48-d, [of the] Texas
 6-9     Constitution;
6-10                 (2)  the name of the proposed district;
6-11                 (3)  the district's boundaries as designated by metes
6-12     and bounds or other sufficient legal description;
6-13                 (4)  that the creation of [none of the territory in]
6-14     the proposed district complies with Sections 794.020 and 794.0205
6-15     [is included in another rural fire prevention district]; and
6-16                 (5)  the mailing address of each petitioner.
6-17           SECTION 8. Section 794.020, Health and Safety Code, is
6-18     amended to read as follows:
6-19           Sec. 794.020.  OVERLAPPING DISTRICTS LOCATED WHOLLY IN
6-20     POPULOUS COUNTY. (a)  This section applies only to a district
6-21     located wholly in a county with a population of more than three
6-22     million.
6-23           (b)  If the territory in one or more districts overlaps, the
6-24     commissioners court of the county in which the most recently
6-25     created district is located by order shall exclude the overlapping
6-26     territory from that district.
6-27           (c) [(b)]  For purposes of this section, a district is
 7-1     created on the date on which the election approving its creation
 7-2     was held.  If the elections approving the creation of two or more
 7-3     districts are held on the same date, the most recently created
 7-4     district is the district for which the hearing required by Section
 7-5     794.016 was most recently held.
 7-6           (d) [(c)]  The creation of [fact that] a district [is
 7-7     created] with boundaries that overlap the boundaries of another
 7-8     district does not affect the validity of either district.
 7-9           SECTION 9. Subchapter B, Chapter 794, Health and Safety Code,
7-10     is amended by adding Section 794.0205 to read as follows:
7-11           Sec. 794.0205.  OVERLAPPING DISTRICTS. (a)  If the territory
7-12     in a district created under this chapter overlaps with the
7-13     boundaries of another district created under this chapter or an
7-14     emergency services district created under Chapter 775 or 776, the
7-15     most recently created district may not provide services in the
7-16     overlapping territory that duplicate the services provided by the
7-17     other district.
7-18           (b)  If the territory in more than two districts overlaps,
7-19     the commissioners court of the county in which the most recently
7-20     created district is located by order shall exclude the overlapping
7-21     territory from that district.
7-22           (c)  For purposes of this section, a district is created on
7-23     the date on which the election approving its creation was held.  If
7-24     the elections approving the creation of two or more districts are
7-25     held on the same date, the most recently created district is the
7-26     district for which the hearing regarding approval of the petition
7-27     for creation of the district was most recently held.
 8-1           (d)  The creation of a district with boundaries that overlap
 8-2     the boundaries of another district does not affect the validity of
 8-3     either district.
 8-4           (e)  This section does not apply to a district located wholly
 8-5     in a county with a population of more than three million.
 8-6           SECTION 10.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 8-7     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 8-8     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 8-9     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
8-10     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.