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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the requirements for meetings of certain special |
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districts. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 49.062, Water Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsections (b-1), |
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(b-2), and (b-3) to read as follows: |
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(b) The board shall designate one or more places inside or |
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outside the district for conducting the meetings of the board. The |
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meeting place may be a private residence or office, provided that |
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the board, in its order establishing the meeting place, declares |
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the same to be a public place and invites the public to attend any |
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meeting of the board. |
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(b-1) The designated place must provide district residents |
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a reasonable opportunity to attend board meetings. |
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(b-2) If the board establishes a meeting place or places |
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outside the district: |
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(1) the place or places must be located within 10 miles |
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of the district boundaries; and |
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(2) the board [, it] shall give notice of the location |
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or locations by filing a true copy of the resolution establishing |
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the location or locations of the meeting place or places with the |
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commission and also by publishing notice of the location or |
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locations in a newspaper of general circulation in the district. |
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(b-3) If the location of any of the meeting places outside |
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the district is changed, notice of the change shall be given in the |
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same manner. |
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(c) After at least 25 qualified electors are residing in a |
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district, on the written request of at least five of those electors |
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for[,] the board to [shall] designate a different meeting place to |
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provide district residents a reasonable opportunity to attend |
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district meetings, the board shall determine whether [and hold
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meetings within the district if it determines that] the designated |
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meeting place [used by the district] deprives the residents of a |
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reasonable opportunity to attend district meetings. On the board's |
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failure to designate a different [the location of the] meeting |
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place to provide district residents a reasonable opportunity to |
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attend district meetings [within the district], five electors may |
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petition the commission to designate a different location. If the |
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commission [it] determines that the meeting place used by the |
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district deprives the residents of a reasonable opportunity to |
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attend district meetings, the commission may designate a meeting |
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place inside or outside the district which is reasonably available |
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to the public and require that the meetings be held at that [such] |
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place. After the next election, the board may designate different |
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meeting places, including one located outside the boundaries of the |
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district. |
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SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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an open meeting held on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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open meeting that is held before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect on the date of the open meeting, and |
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the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |