| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 1579 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to a county's removal of flood water resulting from a |
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| 6 | 6 | | natural disaster in certain communities. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 561, Local Government Code, is amended |
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| 9 | 9 | | by adding Section 561.010 to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | Sec. 561.010. PROVISION OF FLOOD RELIEF TO COLONIAS. (a) In |
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| 11 | 11 | | this section, "colonia" means a geographic area that consists of 11 |
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| 12 | 12 | | or more dwellings located in close proximity to each other in an |
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| 13 | 13 | | area that may be described as a community or neighborhood and that: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) has a majority population composed of individuals |
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| 15 | 15 | | and families of low income, as defined by Section 2306.004, |
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| 16 | 16 | | Government Code, and based on the federal Office of Management and |
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| 17 | 17 | | Budget poverty index, and meets the qualifications of an |
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| 18 | 18 | | economically distressed area under Section 17.921, Water Code; or |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) has the physical and economic characteristics of a |
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| 20 | 20 | | colonia, as determined by the Texas Department of Housing and |
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| 21 | 21 | | Community Affairs. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) A county may provide assistance for the removal from |
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| 23 | 23 | | private property, including a road, of flood water resulting from a |
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| 24 | 24 | | natural disaster in a colonia if the removal of the water is |
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| 25 | 25 | | necessary to protect the health and safety of the colonia. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 27 | 27 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 28 | 28 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 29 | 29 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 30 | 30 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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| 31 | 31 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 32 | 32 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 33 | 33 | | I certify that H.B. No. 1579 was passed by the House on April |
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| 34 | 34 | | 24, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 1 present, not |
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| 35 | 35 | | voting. |
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| 36 | 36 | | ______________________________ |
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| 37 | 37 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 38 | 38 | | I certify that H.B. No. 1579 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 39 | 39 | | 20, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 0. |
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| 40 | 40 | | ______________________________ |
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| 41 | 41 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 42 | 42 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 43 | 43 | | Date |
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| 44 | 44 | | _____________________ |
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| 45 | 45 | | Governor |
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