BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 2049 By: Jackson 3-14-95 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND The Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority (GCA) operates a publicly-owned treatment works program, in which it accepts wastewater discharges from industrial and domestic sources for treatment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves the GCA's pretreatment program, and requires that it meet certain criteria. EPA has determined that the current language of GCA's statute does not provide sufficient penalty authority, since it currently provides a penalty of no more than $1,000 for each day of violation. EPA is requiring GCA to have a penalty authority of no more than $1000 a day, for each violation in order to have an approvable treatment program. PURPOSE HB 2049 changes the GCA's penalty authority from no more than $1,000 for each day of violation to no more than $1,000 a day for each violation. 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. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 3.05 (a), Chapter 409, Acts of the 61st Legislature, Regular Session, 1969 as follows: (a) Changes language to clearly give the GCA the authority to impose a maximum penalty of $1,000 a day for each violation. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE HB 2049 as filed changed the penalty to no more than $1000 for each violation or for each day of a continuing violation; the Committee Substitute changes the maximum penalty to no more than $1000 a day for each violation. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION HB 2049 was considered by the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in a public hearing on March 14, 1995. The following persons testified in favor of the bill: R. Kinnan Goleman, representing the Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority. The committee considered a complete substitute for the bill. The substitute was adopted without objection. HB 2049 was reported favorably as substituted with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed and be sent to the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars, by a record vote of seven (7) ayes, no (0) nays, no (0) pnv, and two (2) absent.