BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 594

By: Zaffirini

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Recreational vehicle (RV) parks are conservators of water usage in that RVs use less water than residential units. However, there is currently no codified formula for establishing water reserves for these parks. C.S.S.B. 594 provides for the establishment of connection equivalency values under which eight RV sites are equivalent to one residential metered connection, with a variance provided in certain circumstances. The bill also requires that RV parks be billed for service based on actual water use and requires each public drinking water supply system to provide a sufficient quantity or capacity of water.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 594 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the drinking water supply provided by a public drinking water supply system to provide a quantity of water or capacity of water sufficient to serve the number of connections served by the system. The bill requires the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) by rule to establish connection equivalency values for each meter size used to serve a recreational vehicle (RV) park for use in determining the number of connections served by a public drinking water supply system that provides service through meters. When determining the number of connections, the TCEQ may only consider service for which a meter has been installed that conforms with industry standards. The bill requires the rules to establish that eight RV or cabin sites at an RV park, whether occupied or not, are equivalent to one residential metered connection and to provide a variance from an established connection equivalency value if actual system usage is more than 10 percent below the equivalency value.

C.S.S.B. 594 amends the Water Code to require a retail public utility providing water or sewer service to an RV park, other than a municipally owned utility that provides nonsubmetered master metered utility service to such a park, to ensure that billing for the service is based on actual water usage recorded by the utility and prohibits the utility from imposing a surcharge based on the number of RV or cabin sites in the park.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF SENATE ENGROSSED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.S.B. 594 may differ from the engrossed in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute omits a provision that was present in the engrossed that excepted a noncommunity nontransient water system from the requirement for the drinking water supply provided by a public drinking water supply system to provide a quantity or capacity of water sufficient to serve the number of connections served by the system.