| 1 | 1 | | 87R7596 SMT-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Nichols S.B. No. 774 |
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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 the election of emergency services commissioners in |
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| 8 | 8 | | certain emergency services districts. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Sections 775.0345(b-1), (d-1), (e), and (h-1), |
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| 11 | 11 | | Health and Safety Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), the governing body of |
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| 13 | 13 | | a district described by Subsection (a)(2) [or (3)] is governed by a |
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| 14 | 14 | | five-member board of emergency services commissioners elected from |
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| 15 | 15 | | single-member districts. One director is elected from each |
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| 16 | 16 | | single-member district. As soon as possible after the district is |
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| 17 | 17 | | created, the commissioners court of the county in which the |
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| 18 | 18 | | district is located shall divide the district into five numbered |
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| 19 | 19 | | single-member districts. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (d-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (d), to be eligible to be a |
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| 21 | 21 | | candidate for emergency services commissioner in a single-member |
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| 22 | 22 | | district on an initial board in a district described by Subsection |
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| 23 | 23 | | (a)(2) [or (3)], a person must be at least 18 years of age and a |
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| 24 | 24 | | resident of that single-member district. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (e) A candidate for emergency services commissioner on an |
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| 26 | 26 | | initial board must give the voter registrar of the county a sworn |
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| 27 | 27 | | notice of the candidate's intention to run for office. The notice |
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| 28 | 28 | | must state the person's name, age, and address and state that the |
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| 29 | 29 | | person is serving notice of intent to run for emergency services |
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| 30 | 30 | | commissioner. If the person intends to run for emergency services |
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| 31 | 31 | | commissioner in a single-member district in a district described by |
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| 32 | 32 | | Subsection (a)(2) [or (3)], the notice must also specify the |
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| 33 | 33 | | single-member district the person seeks to represent. On receipt |
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| 34 | 34 | | of the notice, the voter registrar of the county shall have the |
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| 35 | 35 | | candidate's name placed on the ballot. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (h-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (h), the five initial |
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| 37 | 37 | | emergency services commissioners elected from single-member |
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| 38 | 38 | | districts in a district described by Subsection (a)(2) [or (3)] |
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| 39 | 39 | | shall draw lots to determine which two commissioners serve terms |
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| 40 | 40 | | that expire on December 31 of the second year following the year in |
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| 41 | 41 | | which the election was held and which three commissioners serve |
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| 42 | 42 | | terms that expire on December 31 of the fourth year following the |
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| 43 | 43 | | year in which the election was held. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 2. (a) This Act does not prohibit a person who is |
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| 45 | 45 | | serving as an emergency services commissioner on the effective date |
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| 46 | 46 | | of this Act from running for election to the board of commissioners |
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| 47 | 47 | | after the effective date of this Act if the person has the |
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| 48 | 48 | | qualifications required for a member under Section 775.0345, Health |
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| 49 | 49 | | and Safety Code. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (b) The terms of the emergency services commissioners |
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| 51 | 51 | | serving on the effective date of this Act expire on the date a |
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| 52 | 52 | | majority of the new emergency services commissioners elected under |
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| 53 | 53 | | Subsection (c) of this section qualify to serve. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (c) The county judge of a county with an emergency services |
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| 55 | 55 | | district to which Section 775.0345(a)(3), Health and Safety Code, |
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| 56 | 56 | | applies on the effective date of this Act shall establish an |
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| 57 | 57 | | election to elect new emergency services commissioners of that |
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| 58 | 58 | | district in the manner provided by Section 775.0345, Health and |
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| 59 | 59 | | Safety Code, as amended by this Act, for election of the initial |
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| 60 | 60 | | commissioners as if the district had been created on the effective |
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| 61 | 61 | | date of this Act. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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