H.B. No. 630

	AN ACT
	relating to the filling of vacancies on a political party's county
	executive committee and the conduct of certain primary elections in
	the absence of a county executive committee.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Sections 171.024(b) and (c), Election Code, are
	amended to read as follows:
	(b)  A [Except as provided by Subsection (c), a] majority of
	the committee's membership must participate in filling a vacancy in
	the office of county chair. To be elected, a person must receive a
	favorable vote of a majority of the members voting.
	(c)  Each party shall adopt rules to determine a percentage
	of committee membership that constitutes a quorum for purposes of
	filling a [A] vacancy in the office of precinct chair. To be
	elected, a person must receive a favorable vote of a majority of the
	members voting [may be filled without participation of the majority
	of the committee membership if only one person is a candidate to
	fill the vacancy and the person:
	[(1)     was elected as a precinct chair in the most recent
	primary election in the county; and
	[(2)  is eligible to serve in the vacant office].
	SECTION 2.  Section 171.025, Election Code, is amended by
	adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
	(e)  In a county with a population of less than 5,000, a
	vacancy in the office of county chair may be filled by appointment
	by the state chair of a person who is not a resident of the county
	if:
	(1)  the person resides in a county in this state with a
	population of less than 5,000 that is adjacent to the county in
	which the vacancy occurs; and
	(2)  the secretary of state approves the appointment of
	the person under procedures prescribed by the secretary of state.
	SECTION 3.  Subchapter E, Chapter 172, Election Code, is
	amended by adding Section 172.128 to read as follows:
	Sec. 172.128.  ALTERNATIVE PRIMARY PROCEDURE FOR COUNTIES
	WITHOUT COUNTY PARTY LEADERSHIP.  (a)  This section applies only to
	a primary election that is required for the nomination of a
	political party to a statewide office.
	(b)  The state chair of a political party may contract with a
	county clerk, county tax assessor-collector, or county elections
	administrator, as appropriate, to hold a primary election in a
	county in which:
	(1)  the office of county chair is vacant and there is
	an insufficient number of members serving on the county executive
	committee to fill a vacancy on the committee; and
	(2)  the party is unable to establish a temporary
	executive committee under Section 171.027.
	SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
	Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 630 was passed by the House on April
	22, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 145, Nays 0, 1 present, not
	voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to
	H.B. No. 630 on May 17, 2013, and requested the appointment of a
	conference committee to consider the differences between the two
	houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report
	on H.B. No. 630 on May 26, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 134,
	Nays 0, 1 present, not voting.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 630 was passed by the Senate, with
	amendments, on May 15, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
	0; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference
	committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and
	that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No.
	630 on May 26, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED: __________________
	Date
	__________________
	Governor