78R3374 MI-F

By:  Wentworth                                                    S.B. No. 1016


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the financing of certain local water, conservation, and open-space projects in accordance with the law governing sports and community venue projects. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 334.001(4), Local Government Code, is amended to read as follows: (4) "Venue" means: (A) an arena, coliseum, stadium, or other type of area or facility: (i) that is used or is planned for use for one or more professional or amateur sports events, community events, or other sports events, including rodeos, livestock shows, agricultural expositions, promotional events, and other civic or charitable events; and (ii) for which a fee for admission to the events is charged or is planned to be charged; (B) a convention center facility or related improvement such as a convention center, civic center, civic center building, civic center hotel, auditorium, theater, opera house, music hall, exhibition hall, rehearsal hall, park, zoological park, museum, aquarium, or plaza located in the vicinity of a convention center or facility owned by a municipality or a county; (C) a tourist development area along an inland waterway; (D) a municipal parks and recreation system, or improvements or additions to a parks and recreation system, or an area or facility that is part of a municipal parks and recreation system; [and] (E) a project authorized by Section 4A or 4B, Development Corporation Act of 1979 (Article 5190.6, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as that Act existed on September 1, 1997; and (F) a watershed protection and preservation project, a conservation easement, an open-space preservation program intended to protect water, or any water project authorized for a municipality under Chapter 401 or under the Water Code. SECTION 2. Section 334.081, Local Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: (d) Subsection (c)(1) does not apply to a venue project for a venue described by Section 334.001(4)(F). SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2003.