Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 2444 amends the Natural Resources Code to delegate to the Railroad Commission of Texas the authority to purchase goods and services if the purchase does not exceed $300,000. The maximum threshold normally applicable to state-agency purchasing delegation is $15,000. The bill exempts the commission, when purchasing in connection with well plugging or the environmental remediation of surface locations, from certain purchasing procedures relating to use of the master bidders list, use of electronic procurement methods, and purchasing from historically underutilized businesses. The bill also exempts the commission from certain fleet requirements relating to the purchase or lease of alternative-fuel vehicles except in areas of air quality nonattainment, where the requirements still apply.