| 1 | | - | By: Parker (Senate Sponsor - Hancock) H.B. No. 1558 |
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| 2 | | - | (In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2015; |
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| 3 | | - | May 7, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on State |
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| 4 | | - | Affairs; May 18, 2015, reported favorably by the following vote: |
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| 5 | | - | Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 18, 2015, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 1 | + | H.B. No. 1558 |
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| 10 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 5 | | relating to the authority of a municipality to regulate churches |
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| 12 | 6 | | that provide overnight shelter for children. |
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| 13 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 215, Local Government |
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| 15 | 9 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 215.006 to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 10 | | Sec. 215.006. CHURCH PROVIDING OVERNIGHT SHELTER. (a) In |
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| 17 | 11 | | this section: |
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| 18 | 12 | | (1) "Church" means a facility that is owned by a |
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| 19 | 13 | | religious organization and that is used primarily for religious |
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| 20 | 14 | | services. |
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| 21 | 15 | | (2) "Religious organization" means an organization |
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| 22 | 16 | | that meets the standards for qualification as a religious |
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| 23 | 17 | | organization under Section 11.20, Tax Code. |
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| 24 | 18 | | (b) A municipality may not adopt an ordinance, or enforce |
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| 25 | 19 | | an existing ordinance, that prohibits a church from providing |
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| 26 | 20 | | overnight shelter for children 17 years of age and younger. |
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| 27 | 21 | | (c) A municipal ordinance or regulation that relates to the |
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| 28 | 22 | | safe and sanitary operation of a homeless shelter for children |
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| 29 | 23 | | applies to a church that provides overnight shelter for children. |
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| 30 | 24 | | (d) A municipality may adopt or enforce an ordinance |
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| 31 | 25 | | establishing limits on the number of nights a child may use an |
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| 32 | 26 | | overnight shelter provided by a church or on the number of children |
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| 33 | 27 | | that can be housed in the shelter per night. |
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| 34 | 28 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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| 35 | | - | * * * * * |
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| 29 | + | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 30 | + | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 31 | + | I certify that H.B. No. 1558 was passed by the House on May 5, |
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| 32 | + | 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 3, 2 present, not |
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| 33 | + | voting. |
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| 34 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 35 | + | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 36 | + | I certify that H.B. No. 1558 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 37 | + | 22, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 38 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 39 | + | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 40 | + | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 41 | + | Date |
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| 42 | + | _____________________ |
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| 43 | + | Governor |
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