HBA-TBM C.S.H.B. 3229 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 3229
By: Craddick
County Affairs
4/1/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a write-in candidate for the position of director of the
Midland County Hospital District (district) must file a declaration of
candidacy with the secretary of the board of directors of the district not
later than the 30th day before election day.  The deadline may not provide
an adequate length of time for the voting public to become informed about
the candidate.  C.S.H.B. 3229 revises the write-in candidacy declaration
deadline and provides deadline revisions for a write-in candidacy
declaration if a candidate whose name is to appear on the ballot dies or is
declared ineligible.   

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

C.S.H.B. 3229 amends law to provide that a declaration for write-in
candidacy for director of the Midland County Hospital District must be
filed with the secretary of the board of directors not later than 5 p.m. of
the fifth day after the date an application for a place on the ballot is
required to be filed in the election rather than 30th day before the
election day.  However, if a candidate whose name is to appear on the
ballot dies or is declared ineligible after the 43rd rather than 33rd day
before election day, a declaration of write-in candidacy for the office is
authorized to be filed not later than 5 p.m. of the 37th rather than 27th
day before election day.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001. 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3229 differs from the original by replacing the 40 day deadline
for filing a declaration for write-in candidacy with the fifth day after
the date an application for a place on the ballot is required to be filed
in the election.