SB1214

SB1214 updates election, administration, contracting and borrowing rules for the Concho County Hospital District. It was signed May 29, 2025, and took effect September 1, 2025. Although the bill allowed immediate effect with a two-thirds vote in each chamber, the House’s 88–30 vote did not meet that condition. Final law, section 10 and certification; Official history.

Board elections: Candidates now file an application under Election Code Chapter 144 with the board secretary instead of the district’s special petition signed by at least 10 registered taxpaying voters. Directors must still be district residents and qualified voters, but no longer must own land. District employees are expressly barred from serving as directors. Deleting the separate “at least 18” phrase does not permit children to serve: the retained qualified-voter requirement includes age 18. Final law, sections 1–2; Qualified-voter definition; Application requirement; Filing deadlines.

The application change applies to elections ordered on or after September 1. New director qualifications apply to people elected or appointed on or after that date; existing directors may finish their current terms, and may be reelected or reappointed if they meet the new requirements. The board must elect a vice president as well as a president and secretary. Final law, sections 3 and 9.

Administration: The act repeals the district-specific $1,000 director-bond requirement and associated bank safekeeping rule for bonds and oaths, and the administrator-bond requirement of at least $5,000. It removes this section’s express assistant-administrator appointment provision and related references. The district administrator still serves at the board’s will with board-set compensation. Repealing these particular provisions is not a general exemption from other applicable oath, employment or accountability laws. Final law, sections 4–5 and 8; Repealed director-bond provision; Former administrator provisions.

Contracts and debt: The act replaces the district’s special advertising rule for construction or purchase contracts over $2,000 with express construction-contract authority, authority to use Government Code Chapter 2269 for public works, and application of Chapter 2253 performance/payment-bond rules. This is not permission to disregard applicable public-contracting law. It changes the revenue-limit wording from “obligation” to “debt” and adds the public-hospital borrowing statute as an exception. That statute permits loans backed by eligible hospital revenue or tax revenue, with repayment deadlines of up to five years for hospital-revenue-backed loans and one year for tax-backed loans. It does not authorize unlimited borrowing. Final law, sections 6–7; Public-works framework; Contract bond requirements; Hospital borrowing limits.