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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the election of directors of certain electric |
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cooperatives. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 161, Utilities Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 161.0721 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 161.0721. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS IN CERTAIN LARGE |
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COOPERATIVES. (a) This section applies only to an electric |
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cooperative with more than 200,000 members that is partially |
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located in a county with a population of more than one million and |
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less than 1.5 million. |
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(b) Directors may be elected only by district. The board |
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shall establish single-member districts from which the directors |
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are to be elected. In establishing the districts, the board shall |
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ensure that directors represent geographic areas in which |
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approximately equal numbers of members reside. |
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(c) A member may vote for a director to represent a district |
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only if the member resides in that district. |
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(d) To be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of |
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the total number of votes received in the candidate's district. |
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(e) If no candidate for a particular district receives the |
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vote necessary to be elected, a runoff election for that office is |
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required. |
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(f) A director serves a four-year term. |
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(g) The first board of directors elected from the districts |
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established under Subsection (b) may agree to establish a system of |
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staggered terms by providing that approximately half of that first |
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board of directors will serve initial terms of two years. |
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(h) Elections must be held in November of an odd-numbered |
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year. |
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SECTION 2. (a) An electric cooperative to which Section |
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161.0721, Utilities Code, as added by this Act, applies shall |
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establish single-member districts as required by that section as |
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soon as practicable, and not later than October 1, 2015. |
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(b) The electric cooperative shall hold an election as |
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required by this Act on or before November 30, 2015. At that |
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election, all board member positions will be up for election. The |
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terms of all directors serving on the date of the election are |
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terminated, and the terms of the newly elected directors begin, on |
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January 31, 2016. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |