1-1 By: Cuellar of Webb (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.B. No. 283 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 1, 1995; 1-3 May 2, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural 1-4 Resources; May 25, 1995, reported adversely, with favorable 1-5 Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; 1-6 May 25, 1995, sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 283 By: Brown 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to environmental protection of the Rio Grande. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Chapter 86, Local Government Code, is amended by 1-13 adding Subchapter D to read as follows: 1-14 SUBCHAPTER D. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF RIO GRANDE 1-15 Sec. 86.041. LEGISLATIVE FINDING. The legislature finds 1-16 that ensuring a high standard of environmental quality for the Rio 1-17 Grande is a matter of concern to the entire state. 1-18 Sec. 86.042. COUNTY SUBJECT TO SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter 1-19 applies only to a county: 1-20 (1) with a population of 130,000 to 175,000; 1-21 (2) that borders the Rio Grande; and 1-22 (3) in which the commissioners court determines by 1-23 order that the public health, safety, and welfare require that 1-24 constables of the county help protect the environmental quality of 1-25 the Rio Grande. 1-26 Sec. 86.043. ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING OF COUNTY CONSTABLES. 1-27 (a) The commissioners court of the county may authorize a 1-28 constable and the constable's deputies to seek environmental 1-29 training from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. 1-30 (b) The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, at a 1-31 minimum, must design and certify the training to familiarize 1-32 constables and deputies with the investigation of environmental 1-33 violations. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission may 1-34 assess a fee against a county that authorizes training under this 1-35 section to recover the cost of the training. 1-36 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-37 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-38 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-39 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-40 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-41 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-42 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-43 * * * * *