HBA-JEK H.B. 1519 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1519
By: Wilson
Urban Affairs
4/1/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Houston's city charter was amended in November, 1991, to limit the mayor,
city council members, and city controller to no more than three two-year
terms of service.  House Bill 1519 requires the mayor of a municipality
with a population of 1.8 million or more to order an election on the
question of whether to change the terms and term limits of members of the
governing body. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1519 amends the Local Government Code to prohibit a municipal
term limit from being used to disqualify a person who serves on the
governing body of a municipality with a population of 1.8 million or more
on September 1, 2001, from holding, or being a candidate for, an office on
the governing body if the term of the office begins immediately following
the term the person holds on September 1, 2001.   

The bill requires the mayor of a municipality with a population of 1.8
million or more to order an election in the municipality for November 6,
2001, on the question of whether to establish four-year terms and a two
term limit on the members of the municipality's governing body, including
the mayor.  The term length and term limit are established if the election
favors the proposition and if the constitutional amendment proposed by the
77th Legislature that permits the legislature to authorize the most
populous municipality in the state, with voter approval, to increase the
terms of office of the members of the governing body and mayor to no more
than four-year terms is adopted.  The bill specifies that a term to which a
member of the governing body was elected or appointed before the election
is not counted and that a partial term served by a person is counted only
if the person serves two years or more of the term. 

H.B. 1519 sets forth term and term limit provisions for a municipality that
first attains a population of 1.8 million or more under a federal decennial
census occurring after the 2000 census. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.