HB2293

Regular Session

Relating to the election of the members of the board of directors of the Sweeny Hospital District.

LowStandard timeline

Low Cost

Effective:2025-06-20

Enforcing Agencies

Sweeny Hospital District Board of Directors

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Enacted immediately upon signature due to supermajority vote).
Compliance Deadline: The first Board meeting held on or after June 20, 2025. The drawing of lots must occur at this specific meeting to establish the legal tenure of current directors.
Agency Rulemaking: None. The Board of Directors is the self-executing authority; no state agency guidance will follow.

Immediate Action Plan

Draft Resolution: Prepare a Board resolution for the June/July meeting agenda formally establishing the "Place" system and authorizing the drawing of lots.
Execute Drawing: Conduct the drawing in two distinct pools: Group A (terms expiring 2026) draws for Places 1-4; Group B (terms expiring 2027) draws for Places 5-7.
Update Records: Immediately record the assignments in the official minutes and update the District website to list directors by Place.
Notify Vendor: Send a formal notice to your election services vendor regarding the change in ballot configuration for the May 2026 cycle.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Election Services Agreements: You must amend agreements with your County Election Administrator or third-party vendor for the May 2026 election. The ballot logic must change from a "pool" system (e.g., "Vote for any 4") to a specific seat system (e.g., "Place 1: Vote for 1").

Hiring/Training

Board Governance Training: No new hiring is required. However, the General Counsel must brief the Board on the "Place" system, specifically that future incumbents must file for their assigned Place number, not the general board.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

Meeting Minutes: The minutes of the transition meeting must explicitly record the results of the lot drawing (e.g., *"Director [Name] drew Place 1"*). This record serves as the legal proof of the director's assignment to that seat.
Bylaws: Amend District Bylaws to define the Board composition as seven directors elected by Place.
Candidate Packets: Update all future candidate filing forms to require designation of a specific Place number.

Fees & Costs

Election Costs: Expect a negligible variance in ballot layout fees.
Legal/Admin: Minimal costs associated with updating bylaws and website transparency pages.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

Absentee Directors: The statute mandates that directors "shall draw lots" but does not provide a remedy if a director is absent from the transition meeting.
*Risk:* An absent director could later claim their assignment was invalid.
*Mitigation:* The Board should pass a resolution prior to the drawing authorizing the Board President or General Counsel to draw a lot by proxy for any absent member to ensure statutory compliance.
Ballot Order: The law establishes Places 1-7 but does not dictate their visual order on the ballot. Standard practice is numerical, but this should be codified in the election order to prevent vendor errors.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsSweeny Hospital District Special Districts & Authorities Special Districts & Authorities--hospital

Official Analysis

View HRO Analysis View All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2293

By: Vasut

Intergovernmental Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The directors of the board of the Sweeny Hospital District are currently elected at large in unnumbered positions. The bill author has informed the committee that the board has requested to alter the method of election of directors to election at large in numbered positions, which is in line with the model of other governmental entities in Brazoria County, including Sweeny Independent School District. H.B. 2293 seeks to fulfill this request by requiring the board's directors to be elected at large by place.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2293 amends the Special District Local Laws Code to specify that the elected directors of the Sweeny Hospital District are elected at large by place. The bill requires the directors serving on the date of the first board of directors meeting that follows the bill's effective date to draw lots at that meeting to determine in which place each director serves, with the four directors whose terms expire in May 2026 drawing lots to determine Places 1, 2, 3, and 4 and the three directors whose terms expire in May 2027 drawing lots to determine Places 5, 6, and 7.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

House Authors

Rep. Cody VasutRepublican · Primary Author

Senate Sponsor

Sen. Joan HuffmanRepublican · Primary Sponsor

Bill Text(with markup)

H.B. No. 2293

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to the election of the members of the board of directors of
	the Sweeny Hospital District.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Section 1102.051(a), Special District Local Laws
	Code, is amended to read as follows:
	(a) The board consists of seven [~~elected~~] directors elected
	at large by place.
	SECTION 2. At the first meeting of the board of directors of
	the Sweeny Hospital District that follows the effective date of
	this Act, the directors serving on that date shall draw lots to
	determine in which place each director serves. The four directors
	whose terms expire in May 2026 shall draw lots to determine Places
	1, 2, 3, and 4. The three directors whose terms expire in May 2027
	shall draw lots to determine Places 5, 6, and 7.
	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


April 10, 2025

TO:	Honorable Cecil Bell, Chair, House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB2293 by Vasut (Relating to the election of the members of the board of directors of the Sweeny Hospital District.), As Introduced

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

LBB Staff:

JMc, SZ, BC, CWi

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB2293

What does Texas HB2293 do?

HB 2293 mandates an immediate structural reorganization of the Sweeny Hospital District Board of Directors, transitioning from a pure "at-large" election system to an "at-large by place" system (Places 1 through 7). This change requires the current Board to assign specific Place numbers to existing directors through a mandatory drawing of lots at the first meeting following enactment, fundamentally altering how future candidates file and run for office. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Enacted immediately upon signature due to supermajority vote).

Who authored HB2293?

HB2293 was authored by Texas Representative Cody Vasut during the Regular Session.

When was HB2293 signed into law?

HB2293 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Which agencies enforce HB2293?

HB2293 is enforced by Sweeny Hospital District Board of Directors.

How urgent is compliance with HB2293?

The compliance urgency for HB2293 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of HB2293?

The cost impact of HB2293 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does HB2293 address?

HB2293 addresses topics including sweeny hospital district, special districts & authorities and special districts & authorities--hospital.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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