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          AN ACT
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        relating to civil suits filed against board members of a  | 
      
      
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        groundwater conservation district and the liability of a member for  | 
      
      
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        certain actions taken by the board. | 
      
      
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               BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
      
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               SECTION 1.  Section 36.060, Water Code, is amended by adding  | 
      
      
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        Subsection (e) to read as follows: | 
      
      
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               (e)  For liability purposes only, a director is considered a  | 
      
      
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        district employee under Chapter 101, Civil Practice and Remedies  | 
      
      
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        Code, even if the director does not receive fees of office  | 
      
      
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        voluntarily, by district policy, or through a statutory exception  | 
      
      
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        to this section.  | 
      
      
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               SECTION 2.  Section 36.066(a), Water Code, is amended to  | 
      
      
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        read as follows: | 
      
      
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               (a)  A district may sue and be sued in the courts of this  | 
      
      
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        state in the name of the district by and through its board.  A  | 
      
      
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        district board member is immune from suit and immune from liability  | 
      
      
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        for official votes and official actions. To the extent an official  | 
      
      
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        vote or official action conforms to laws relating to conflicts of  | 
      
      
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        interest, abuse of office, or constitutional obligations, this  | 
      
      
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        subsection provides immunity for those actions. All courts shall  | 
      
      
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        take judicial notice of the creation of the district and of its  | 
      
      
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        boundaries. | 
      
      
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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. | 
      
      
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        ______________________________ | 
        ______________________________ | 
      
      
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           President of the Senate | 
        Speaker of the House      | 
      
      
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               I certify that H.B. No. 3163 was passed by the House on May  | 
      
      
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        15, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 119, Nays 5, 2 present, not  | 
      
      
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        voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.  | 
      
      
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        No. 3163 on May 29, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 141, Nays 4,  | 
      
      
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        2 present, not voting. | 
      
      
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        ______________________________ | 
      
      
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        Chief Clerk of the House    | 
      
      
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               I certify that H.B. No. 3163 was passed by the Senate, with  | 
      
      
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        amendments, on May 27, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays  | 
      
      
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        1. | 
      
      
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        ______________________________ | 
      
      
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        Secretary of the Senate    | 
      
      
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        APPROVED: __________________ | 
      
      
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                        Date        | 
      
      
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                 __________________ | 
      
      
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                      Governor        |