BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3817

By: Hunter

Land & Resource Management

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Changes being made to the National Spatial Reference System will more accurately provide horizontal and vertical positions on the earth's surface which may be used to better protect the public by providing respective state agencies the data needed for the construction of accurate maps, such as for flood-prone and subsidence areas, the monitoring of coastal erosion, and the construction of transportation routes. H.B. 3817 seeks to support this effort by providing for a revised state coordinate system and certain units of measurement.

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. 3817 amends the Natural Resources Code to authorize the Texas Spatial Reference Center at Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi to adopt a revised state coordinate system that may be used for state coordinate system purposes under the authority granted to the center as the state's facilitator of the National Spatial Reference System. The bill makes an adopted revised coordinate system an official state coordinate system. The bill removes as a state coordinate system unit of measurement value the value of one foot and includes as values one U.S. survey foot and one international foot.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.