HBA-DMD, MPM H.B. 3204 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3204 By: Danburg Public Education 11/1/1999 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Article 2774b, V.T.C.S., governs the election of members of the board of trustees (board) in an independent school district (district) with 140,000 or more students in a city with a population of 1,590,000 or more. Currently, this statute applies only to the Houston Independent School District. H.B. 3204 authorizes a district covered under this statute to count write-in votes and require the declaration of write-in candidates in accordance with Section 11.056 (Write-In Voting), Education Code, or other laws applicable to districts. This bill also modifies Article 2774b, V.T.C.S., to require that a person's written notice of candidacy for the board of a district covered by the statute be accompanied by a filing fee or a petition signed by a prescribed number of qualified voters. 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 3, Chapter 339, Acts of the 52nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1951 (Article 2774b, V.T.C.S.), by adding Subsection (d), as follows: (d) Authorizes a school district to count write-in votes and require the declaration of write-in candidates in the manner provided by Section 11.056 (Write-in Voting), Education Code. SECTION 2. Amends Section 4, Chapter 339, Acts of the 52nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1951 (Article 2774b, V.T.C.S.), as follows: (a) Provides that a person who does not file a notice announcing the person's candidacy and request for the person's name to be placed on the ballot, accompanied by a filing fee or petition provided by Subsections (b) and (c) of this section, is not entitled to have the person's name printed on the ballot to be used at an election for a board of trustees for a school district. (b) Provides that except as provided in Subsection (c), the written notice under Subsection (a) must be accompanied by a filing fee of $300. Provides that the fee may be paid only in cash or a cashier's check, certified check, or money order made payable to the district. (c) Authorizes a candidate to submit with the written notice a petition signed by a number of registered voters equal to at least one-half of one percent of the total number of votes case in the district in the most recent gubernatorial election, instead of the fee under Subsection (b). SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.