BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3582

By: Harless

Elections

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Texas law was recently changed to require school districts to hold joint elections, on uniform election dates, with other county elections and to share the election costs of such a joint election. This requirement has resulted in increased election expenses for school districts because it does not take into account the percentage of the election that relates to school district races.

C.S.H.B. 3582 seeks to ensure that school districts in certain counties are not paying increased election expenses by providing for a fairer allocation of the expenses of a joint election.

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

C.S.H.B. 3582 amends the Education Code to require a joint election agreement between two or more political subdivisions allocating election expenses to provide that a school district located in a county with a population of at least 3.3 million is responsible only for the proportion of election expenses that corresponds to the proportion that the number of precincts located within the school district's boundaries bears to the total number of precincts participating in the joint election.  The bill requires the agreement also to provide that if a precinct is located within the boundaries of two or more school districts, each school district is responsible only for the proportion of election expenses that corresponds to the proportion that the number of the school district's registered voters in the precinct bears to the total number of registered voters in the precinct.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3582 contains a provision not included in the original making the substitute's provisions applicable only to a school district located in a county with a population of at least 3.3 million.

C.S.H.B. 3582 differs from the original by requiring a joint election agreement entered into by two or more political subdivisions allocating election expenses to provide that a school district is responsible only for the proportion of election expenses that corresponds to the proportion that the number of precincts located within the school district's boundaries bears to the total number of precincts participating in the joint election, whereas the original requires the agreement to provide that a school district is responsible only for the proportion that the number of registered voters in the school district bears to the total number of registered voters in all political subdivisions participating in the joint election. 

C.S.H.B. 3582 contains a provision not included in the original requiring the agreement also to provide that if a precinct is located within the boundaries of two or more school districts, each school district is responsible only for the proportion of election expenses that corresponds to the proportion that the number of the school district's registered voters in the precinct bears to the total number of registered voters in the precinct.