JH H.B. 776 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS URBAN AFFAIRS H.B. 776 By: Tillery 3-13-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Chapter 402 of the Local Government Code is entitled Municipal Utilities. Subchapter C contains the Municipal Drainage Utility Systems Act, originally enacted in 1985. This act contains the authority for cities to assess drainage charges on "benefitted property." These charges may be determined on any basis other than ad valorem. PURPOSE This bill would delete agricultural land from the definition of benefitted property for cities over one million population. 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 Local Government Code Section 402.044 to delete agricultural land from the definition of "benefitted property" in cities over one million population. Section 2. Effective date of September 1, 1997. Section 3. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The original bill would have generally included commercial parking lots in the definition of "benefitted property" for all municipal drainage systems regardless of population and would have required that the benefitted property receive municipal utility services. The original bill would have deleted the special definition of "benefitted property" for cities of more than one million population.