BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3097

By: Lewis

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There are currently different deadlines regarding the election of directors of the Ector County Hospital District for a ballot petition requesting that a person's name be printed on a ballot as a candidate and for the remainder of the application. Interested parties contend that simultaneous filing deadlines for the petition and remainder of the application will allow the application process to be more streamlined and efficient. H.B. 3097 seeks to address this issue by revising certain filing deadlines in the election of directors for the Ector County Hospital District.

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. 3097 amends the Special District Local Laws Code to require a petition requesting a person's name be printed on a ballot as a candidate for director of the Ector County Hospital District to be filed not later than 5 p.m. on the same day that an application for a place on a ballot must be filed under Election Code provisions relating to the filing deadline for a candidate for an office of a political subdivision other than a county or city, rather than requiring the petition be filed not later than 5 p.m. on the 62nd day before the date of the election.  The bill requires a petition to specify the single-member district the candidate wants to represent, rather than specify the commissioners precinct the candidate wants to represent or that the candidate wants to represent the district at large.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.