1-1 By: Barrientos S.B. No. 375
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 17, 1993; February 17, 1993,
1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Economic Development;
1-4 March 9, 1993, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7,
1-5 Nays 0; March 9, 1993, sent to printer.)
1-6 COMMITTEE VOTE
1-7 Yea Nay PNV Absent
1-8 Parker x
1-9 Lucio x
1-10 Ellis x
1-11 Haley x
1-12 Harris of Dallas x
1-13 Harris of Tarrant x
1-14 Leedom x
1-15 Madla x
1-16 Rosson x
1-17 Shapiro x
1-18 Wentworth x
1-19 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-20 AN ACT
1-21 relating to metering for water usage in newly constructed
1-22 apartments, condominium projects, mobile home parks, and multiple
1-23 use facilities.
1-24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-25 SECTION 1. Section 13.502, Water Code, is amended to read as
1-26 follows:
1-27 Sec. 13.502. WATER SUBMETERING. (a) An apartment house
1-28 owner, mobile home park owner, multiple use facility owner, <or>
1-29 condominium manager, or property owners association may provide for
1-30 submetering of each dwelling unit or rental unit for the
1-31 measurement of the quantity of water, if any, consumed by the
1-32 occupants of that unit.
1-33 (b) The initial construction of an apartment house, mobile
1-34 home park, multiple use facility, or condominium project shall
1-35 provide for individual water metering, submetering, or plumbing
1-36 designed for future submetering by the owner of each unit for the
1-37 measurement of the quantity of water consumed by the occupants
1-38 within that unit.
1-39 (c) Subsection (b) of this section does not apply to
1-40 construction by a nonprofit organization of a new apartment house
1-41 for occupancy by low-income elderly tenants when the nonprofit
1-42 organization establishes, by submission of engineering and cost
1-43 data and a sworn statement, that all cost savings will be passed on
1-44 to the low-income elderly tenants.
1-45 SECTION 2. Section 13.504, Water Code, is amended to read as
1-46 follows:
1-47 Sec. 13.504. IMPROPER RENTAL RATE INCREASE. If, during the
1-48 90-day period preceding the installation of individual meters or
1-49 submeters, an owner, operator, or manager of an apartment house,
1-50 mobile home park, condominium project, or other multiple use
1-51 facility has increased rental rates and the increase is
1-52 attributable to increased costs of utilities, the owner, operator,
1-53 or manager shall immediately reduce the rental rate by the amount
1-54 of the increase and refund all of the increase that has previously
1-55 been collected within the 90-day period.
1-56 SECTION 3. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
1-57 section, this Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
1-58 (b) Subsection (b), Section 13.502, Water Code, as added by
1-59 this Act, applies only to initial construction for which the date
1-60 of electrical service is on or after January 1, 1994.
1-61 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
1-62 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-63 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-64 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-65 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-66 * * * * *
1-67 Austin,
1-68 Texas
2-1 March 9, 1993
2-2 Hon. Bob Bullock
2-3 President of the Senate
2-4 Sir:
2-5 We, your Committee on Economic Development to which was referred
2-6 S.B. No. 375, have had the same under consideration, and I am
2-7 instructed to report it back to the Senate with the recommendation
2-8 that it do pass and be printed.
2-9 Parker,
2-10 Chairman
2-11 * * * * *
2-12 WITNESSES
2-13 FOR AGAINST ON
2-14 ___________________________________________________________________
2-15 Name: Scott Royder x
2-16 Representing: Sierra Club
2-17 City: Austin
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2-19 Name: David Mintz x
2-20 Representing: TX Apartment Assoc.
2-21 City: Austin
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