BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 632

By: Darby

Energy Resources

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Created in 2017, the TexNet Technical Advisory Committee provides data to aid in the continued prosperity and advancement of Texas' oil and gas industry, but the committee was not permanently established following its 2019 expiration date. C.S.H.B. 632 seeks to address this issue by codifying and thus permanently establishing the TexNet Technical Advisory Committee and providing for its continued research, development of a budget, collection of data, and submission of a biennial report.

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

C.S.H.B. 632 amends the Education Code to establish the TexNet Technical Advisory Committee within The University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology for the TexNet seismic monitoring program. The bill sets out the committee's duties, including meeting with the bureau quarterly to discuss information relating to the program, and prescribes qualifications for certain members of the committee, which consists of nine members who work or reside in Texas and are appointed by the governor. The bill provides for the designation of the committee chair and the ex officio membership of the bureau's director and prohibits a person affiliated with the bureau or under contract for services with the bureau from serving as a voting member.

C.S.H.B. 632 requires the advisory committee and the bureau, not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year, to jointly prepare and submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives a report that includes a review of the use of any funds appropriated for the program by the legislature, a complete listing and accounting of all research funded through the program, and recommendations related to ongoing program operations and requirements.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 632 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a specification not included in the original that committee members work or reside in Texas.

The substitute changes the committee's duty to solicit from the bureau quarterly updates regarding information relating to the program, as required in the original, to a duty to meet quarterly with the bureau to discuss that information.

The substitute changes the deadline for preparing and submitting the report on the program to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house from December 1 of each even‑numbered year, as set in the original, to December 31 of each even-numbered year, and requires the committee and the bureau to jointly prepare and submit the report, whereas the original required only the committee to do so.