Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB63 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R906 BEF-D
2	2	By: Huffines S.B. No. 63
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the qualifications for and time that a person may serve
8	8	in certain offices.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 301, Government Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 301.0135 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 301.0135. QUALIFICATIONS FOR STANDING COMMITTEE
13	13	CHAIRS. (a) A member of the senate or house of representatives is
14	14	not eligible to be designated as chair of a standing committee if at
15	15	the time of designation the member has previously served as chair of
16	16	that standing committee for 72 or more calendar months and
17	17	regardless of whether the months the member served as chair were
18	18	concurrent.
19	19	(b) Service as chair of a standing committee before January
20	20	1, 2016, is not counted in determining whether a member is
21	21	disqualified from designation as chair of that standing committee
22	22	under this section.
23	23	SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 302, Government Code, is
24	24	amended by adding Section 302.002 to read as follows:
25	25	Sec. 302.002. QUALIFICATIONS. (a) A member of the house of
26	26	representatives is not eligible to be elected as speaker unless at
27	27	the time of election the member has served at least one full
28	28	two-year term as a member of the house of representatives.
29	29	(b) A member of the house of representatives is not eligible
30	30	to be elected as speaker if at the time of election the member has
31	31	previously served as speaker for 72 or more calendar months,
32	32	regardless of whether the months the member served as speaker were
33	33	concurrent.
34	34	(c) Service as speaker before January 1, 2016, is not
35	35	counted in determining whether a member is disqualified from
36	36	election as speaker under Subsection (b).
37	37	SECTION 3. Chapter 601, Government Code, is amended by
38	38	adding Section 601.009 to read as follows:
39	39	Sec. 601.009. TERM LIMITS FOR CERTAIN ELECTIVE OFFICES. (a)
40	40	In this section, "elective office under this state" means every
41	41	state or district office or office of a political subdivision of
42	42	this state that is filled by popular election and for which the
43	43	qualifications for office or term of office is not provided by the
44	44	constitution of this state.
45	45	(b) A person is not eligible to be elected to a full or
46	46	partial term in any elective office under this state if on the date
47	47	the term begins the person has served in that office during any part
48	48	of each of eight or more calendar years.
49	49	(c) For purposes of this section, service in more than one
50	50	elective position on a governing body is considered service in the
51	51	same office. This subsection does not apply to ex officio service
52	52	on a governing body.
53	53	(d) Nothing in this section prohibits a person from
54	54	continuing to serve in an office covered by this section after the
55	55	end of a term as a holdover under Section 17, Article XVI, Texas
56	56	Constitution, until a successor is qualified.
57	57	(e) Service in office before January 1, 2016, does not count
58	58	for purposes of determining whether a person is disqualified from
59	59	election to office under this section.
60	60	(f) This section does not prohibit a political subdivision
61	61	of this state by charter, ordinance, order, or other appropriate
62	62	means from imposing a more restrictive limit on the time or number
63	63	of terms that a person may serve in an elective office.
64	64	(g) This section does not apply to an office for which
65	65	another law imposes a more restrictive limit on the time or number
66	66	of terms that a person may serve in the office.
67	67	SECTION 4. Chapter 651, Government Code, is amended by
68	68	adding Section 651.011 to read as follows:
69	69	Sec. 651.011. QUALIFICATIONS FOR CERTAIN APPOINTED STATE
70	70	OFFICERS. (a) This section applies to a state office:
71	71	(1) the duties of which include serving as the head of
72	72	a state agency;
73	73	(2) that is filled by appointment by the governor with
74	74	the advice and consent of the senate;
75	75	(3) for which the qualifications for office are not
76	76	provided by the constitution of this state; and
77	77	(4) for which the term of office is not provided by the
78	78	constitution of this state.
79	79	(b) A person is not eligible for appointment to an office to
80	80	which this section applies if at the time of appointment the person
81	81	has previously served in that office for a cumulative period of four
82	82	or more years.
83	83	(c) Nothing in this section prohibits a person from
84	84	continuing to serve in an office covered by this section after the
85	85	end of a term as a holdover under Section 17, Article XVI, Texas
86	86	Constitution, until a successor is qualified.
87	87	(d) Service in office before January 1, 2016, is not counted
88	88	in determining whether a person is disqualified from appointment to
89	89	office under this section.
90	90	(e) This section does not apply to an office for which
91	91	another law imposes a more restrictive limit on the time or number
92	92	of terms that a person may serve in the office.
93	93	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.