SRC-TJG S.B. 347 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 347
78R3089 QS-FBy: Barrientos
Natural Resources
2/19/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the board of directors of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer
Conservation District (district) is composed of five members, who are
elected from single-member districts.  Members of two of the districts are
elected from the City of Austin.  Whenever the City of Austin annexes
territory within the district's boundaries, the district must redistrict
to ensure that only two of its members are elected by City of Austin
residents.  As proposed, S.B. 347 would revise the district's
single-member districts as soon as practicable after the publication of
each federal decennial census as the board considers appropriate to
reflect population changes.  This is in keeping with the redistricting
requirements of other political bodies.   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 7, Chapter 429, Acts of the 70th Legislature,
Regular Session, 1987, by adding Subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g), as
follows: 

(d) Provides that the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District
(district) is divided into five numbered, single-member districts for
electing directors.  Authorizes the board of the district (board) to
revise the single-member districts as necessary or appropriate. 

(e) Requires the board to revise the single-member districts as soon as
practicable after the publication of each federal decennial census as the
board considers appropriate to reflect population changes. 

(f) Requires the board, when the board revises the single-member districts
under Subsection (e), to place two of the districts entirely within the
boundaries of the City of Austin, as they exist at that time.  Provides
that changes in the boundaries of the City of Austin between revisions of
the single-member districts under Subsection (e) do not affect the
boundaries of the singlemember districts. 

(g) Provides that when the boundaries of the single-member districts are
changed, a director in office on the effective date of the change, or
elected or appointed before the effective date of the change to a term of
office beginning on or after the effective date of the change, is entitled
to serve the term or the remainder of the term in the single-member
district to which elected or appointed even though the change in
boundaries places the person's residence outside the single-member
district for which the person was elected or appointed. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2003.