BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 844

By: Geren

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, a municipality with a population of 575,000 or less that owns land near a certain shoreline of a lake can sell the land to the leaseholder of the land without notice or the solicitation of bids.  Larger cities are subject to certain bidding requirements on such property.  These bidding requirements can present a problem for larger cities in that a number of leaseholders who have resided on and improved the property may move from the property and sell any improvements.  H.B. 844 seeks to remedy this situation by increasing the population cap that defines the cities to which the exemption applies.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 844 amends the Local Government Code to increase from 575,000 to 825,000 the maximum population of a municipality owning land near a certain shoreline of a lake that is exempt from the requirement to provide public notice of the sale or exchange of land and to include the procedure by which sealed bids to purchase the land or offers to exchange the land may be submitted.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.