HBA-DMD H.B. 1618 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1618 By: Keel State, Federal & International Relations 7/27/1999 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Until 1997, there was no provision in Texas law that allowed for residents of a community without a public library to vote to tax themselves in order to support a library through a library district. Legislation passed by the 75th Legislature authorizes a county without a public library to create a library district if the population of the county is 100,000 or more. H.B. 1618 authorizes a library district to be created in any county. This bill authorizes a district to include any contiguous territory within a single county. This bill also provides that if the boundaries of a proposed district include any territory that is part of a municipality that has a municipal public library, the governing authority of that municipality must consent by resolution to allow the inclusion of that municipal territory in the proposed district. 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. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 326.004(a), Local Government Code, to authorize a library district (district) to be created, rather than authorizing a library district to be created only in a county with a population of 100,000 or more. Makes nonsubstantive changes. SECTION 2. Amends Sections 326.022(a) and (c), Local Government Code, as follows: (a) Authorizes a district to include any contiguous territory within a single county, rather than any contiguous territory that is not in a municipality that operates a municipal public library on the date on which an election is ordered on the question of creating the district. (c) Provides that if the boundaries of the proposed district include any territory that, on the date on which an election is ordered on the question of creating the district, is part of a municipality that operated a municipal public library, then the governing authority of that municipality must consent by resolution to allow the inclusion of that municipal territory in the proposed district. Deletes the prohibition against a district including territory in more than one county. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4.Emergency clause.