Metcalf Bill’s Elected River Board Still Gets A Governor-Picked President

The text as introduced · 964 words

89R1764 LRM-D

By: Metcalf
H.B. No. 5005

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the election of the board of directors of the San

Jacinto River Authority.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 6, Chapter 426, Acts of the 45th

Legislature, Regular Session, 1937, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 6. (a) The management and control of all the affairs

of said District shall be vested in, and the powers, rights,

privileges, and functions of the District shall be exercised by , a

Board of Directors consisting of seven members, all of whom shall be

freehold property taxpayers and legal voters of the State of Texas

[ and four (4) of whom shall be residents of a county wholly

encompassed by the District ].

(b) Members of the [ such ] Board of Directors shall be

elected at large by voters in the District [ appointed by the

Governor for terms of four years ].

(c) The Directors shall hold office after their election

[ appointment ] and qualification until their successors shall be

elected [ appointed ] and qualified. [ Should any vacancy occur in

the Board of Directors, the same shall be filled in like manner by

the Governor for the unexpired term. ] The Directors [ appointed ]

shall, within thirty (30) days after their election [ appointment ],

qualify by taking the official oath required of County

Commissioners, and shall execute bond in the sum of Five Thousand

Dollars ($5,000) payable to the District, the sufficiency of which

bond shall be determined by the Governor, which bonds after being

recorded in the official bond records of the county in which the

District maintains its office shall be deposited with the

depository selected and approved for the deposit of the funds of the

District.

(d) The Governor shall designate a Director as the President

of the Board to serve in that capacity at the pleasure of the

Governor. The Board of Directors shall organize by electing one of

its members Vice-President, one Secretary, and one Treasurer. Four

(4) members, including the President, shall constitute a quorum to

transact business. The President shall preside at all meetings of

the Board and shall be the chief executive officer of the District.

The Vice-President shall act as President in case of the absence or

disability of the President. The Secretary shall act as Secretary

of the Board and shall be charged with the duty of keeping a record

of all proceedings and all orders of the Board. The Treasurer shall

receive and receipt for all moneys received by the District and

shall keep books and records of all moneys received and expended. In

case of the absence or inability of the Secretary to act, a

Secretary pro tem shall be selected by the Directors.

(e) The domicile of the District shall be in the City of

Conroe, in the County of Montgomery, Texas, where the District

shall maintain its principal office. The Board of Directors shall

have authority to fix the time, place and number of meetings of such

Board by proper resolutions, regulations and bylaws passed by said

Board. Said Board shall cause to be kept complete and accurate

accounts conforming to approved methods of bookkeeping. Said

accounts and all contracts, documents, and records of the District

shall be kept at said principal office, and same shall be open to

public inspection at all reasonable times.

SECTION 2. Section 30.003(4), Water Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(4) "River authority" means any district or authority

created by the legislature which contains an area within its

boundaries of one or more counties and which is governed by a board

of directors appointed or designated in whole or in part by the

governor, or by the Texas Water Development Board . The term

includes [ , including without limitation ] the San Antonio River

Authority and the San Jacinto River Authority .

SECTION 3. (a) The San Jacinto River Authority shall hold

the first election to elect directors as described by Section 6,

Chapter 426, Acts of the 45th Legislature, Regular Session, 1937,

as amended by this Act, on the uniform election date in May 2026.

(b) The terms of the directors serving on the board of

directors of the San Jacinto River Authority on the effective date

of this Act expire on the date the directors elected under

Subsection (a) of this section have qualified.

(c) At the first meeting of the board of directors of the San

Jacinto River Authority that follows the election held under

Subsection (a) of this section, the directors shall draw lots to

determine which four directors serve a term of four years and which

three directors serve a term of two years.

SECTION 4. (a) The legal notice of the intention to

introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this

Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a

copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies,

officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished

under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313,

Government Code.

(b) The governor, one of the required recipients, has

submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on

Environmental Quality.

(c) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed

its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the

lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of

representatives within the required time.

(d) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this

state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect

to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled

and accomplished.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.