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SENATE BILL 1690 |
SENATE AUTHOR: Bernsen et al. |
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EFFECTIVE: 8-30-99 |
HOUSE SPONSOR: Gray et al. |
Senate Bill 1690 amends provisions of the Natural Resources Code by establishing the Joe Faggard Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act. The act requires the General Land Office (GLO) and land commissioner to develop, implement, and periodically publish and update a program of coastal erosion avoidance, remediation, and planning. The act creates a Coastal Erosion Response Account, consisting of state-appropriated money, grants received from the federal government, and money received by the state from the sale of dredged material, to be used for coastal erosion activities. The act authorizes the commissioner to administer the account and authorizes a certain portion of the Coastal Protection Fund to be used for erosion response projects.
Senate Bill 1690 establishes guidelines for the types of coastal erosion studies and activities that the GLO must undertake and requirements for projects receiving funding from a qualified project partner. The GLO must prioritize coastal erosion response studies and projects and maximize federal and local financial participation. The act also requires the commissioner to submit a report to the legislature each biennium that details GLO coastal erosion activities.
In addition, the act requires a person to conduct and file a coastal boundary survey and to receive approval and the required lease or instrument before beginning an erosion response action, unless the action being performed is confined to land owned by a navigation district or municipality. The act prohibits a state agency or local government from undertaking an erosion response activity on private property or permanent school fund land without obtaining proper consent. The act also provides for the correction of tax rolls for an owner of land that has become submerged because of erosion. Finally, Senate Bill 1690 provides that the State of Texas, the GLO, and the land commissioner are immune from a suit for damages related to coastal erosion response activities within certain conditions.