| 1 | 1 | | 84R1986 AJZ-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Larson H.B. No. 527 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to requiring certain metropolitan rapid transit |
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| 8 | 8 | | authorities to hold a referendum before spending any money for a |
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| 9 | 9 | | fixed rail transit system. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 451, Transportation Code, |
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| 12 | 12 | | is amended by adding Section 451.073 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 451.073. REFERENDUM FOR RAIL PLAN; CERTAIN |
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| 14 | 14 | | AUTHORITIES. (a) This section applies only to an authority created |
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| 15 | 15 | | before 1980 in which the principal municipality has a population of |
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| 16 | 16 | | less than 1.9 million. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) Before the authority may spend any funds to purchase, |
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| 18 | 18 | | acquire, construct, operate, or maintain any form of a fixed rail |
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| 19 | 19 | | transit system, the authority must hold a referendum on whether the |
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| 20 | 20 | | authority may operate a fixed rail transit system. At the election |
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| 21 | 21 | | the ballots shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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| 22 | 22 | | following proposition: "The operation of a fixed rail system by |
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| 23 | 23 | | (name of authority)." |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) The notice of an election called under this section must |
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| 25 | 25 | | include a general description of the form of the fixed rail transit |
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| 26 | 26 | | system, including the general location of any proposed routes. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (d) If a majority of the votes cast are in favor of the |
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| 28 | 28 | | proposition, the authority may build and operate the system as |
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| 29 | 29 | | provided in the notice for the election. If less than a majority of |
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| 30 | 30 | | the votes cast are in favor of the proposition, the authority may |
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| 31 | 31 | | not expend funds of the authority to purchase, acquire, construct, |
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| 32 | 32 | | operate, or maintain any form of a fixed rail transit system unless |
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| 33 | 33 | | the system is approved by a majority of the votes cast at a |
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| 34 | 34 | | referendum held by the authority for that purpose. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (e) A subsequent referendum under Subsection (d): |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) may be held more than once; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) is held in the same manner as the initial |
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| 38 | 38 | | referendum; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) may not be held before the first anniversary of an |
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| 40 | 40 | | election previously held under this section. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 42 | 42 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 43 | 43 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 44 | 44 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 45 | 45 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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