By: Sheffield of Bell H.B. No. 2818
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to changing the wet or dry status in certain areas of a
  political subdivision.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 251.72, Alcoholic Beverage Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 251.72.  CHANGE OF STATUS. Except as provided in
  Sections 251.721, [Section] 251.73, and 251.80 [of this code], an
  authorized voting unit that has exercised or may exercise the right
  of local option retains the status adopted, whether absolute
  prohibition or legalization of the sale of alcoholic beverages of
  one or more of the various types and alcoholic contents on which an
  issue may be submitted under the terms of Section 501.035, Election
  Code, until that status is changed by a subsequent local option
  election in the same authorized voting unit.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter D, Chapter 251, Alcoholic Beverage
  Code, is amended by adding Section 251.721 to read as follows:
         Sec. 251.721.  AREA ANNEXED BY CITY OR TOWN. An area annexed
  by an incorporated city or town assumes the wet or dry status of the
  incorporated city or town annexing the area.
         SECTION 3.  Section 251.80, Alcoholic Beverage Code, is
  amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
  read as follows:
         (a)  A local option election held in a justice precinct shall
  be held in the territory comprising the justice precinct at the time
  the election is held. If a justice precinct has established
  [Whenever] a local option status as a result of a previous local
  option election [is once legally put into effect as the result of
  the vote] in the [a] justice precinct, such status shall remain in
  effect until the status is changed as the result of a subsequent
  local option election [vote] in the [same territory that comprised
  the] precinct [when such status was established]. If the
  boundaries of the justice precinct have changed since such status
  was established, [the commissioners court shall, for purposes of] a
  subsequent local option election will only change the local option
  status in the territory that is part of the justice [, define the
  boundaries of the original] precinct on the date of the subsequent
  local option election. [A local option election may be held within
  the territory defined by the commissioners court as constituting
  such original precinct.]
         (a-1)  For purposes of a local option election, a newly
  created justice precinct shall be considered to have not held a
  local option election on the sale of alcoholic beverages. Any local
  option status established in the territory comprising the new
  justice precinct that resulted from a local option election held in
  the territory when the territory was part of another justice
  precinct remains in effect until that status is changed by a local
  option election held in the new justice precinct.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.