By Brown                                              S.B. No. 1295
         76R9098 JJT-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to testing natural gas piping in certain school
 1-3     facilities.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 121, Utilities Code, is amended by adding
 1-6     Subchapter J to read as follows:
 1-7             SUBCHAPTER J. TESTING OF NATURAL GAS PIPING SYSTEMS
 1-8                            IN SCHOOL FACILITIES
 1-9           Sec. 121.501. APPLICABILITY.  This subchapter applies only to
1-10     a facility of a public school or a private school but does not
1-11     apply to a home school.
1-12           Sec. 121.502.  DEFINITION.  In this subchapter, "supplier"
1-13     means an individual or company that sells and delivers natural gas
1-14     to a school facility.  If more than one individual or company sells
1-15     and delivers natural gas to a school facility each individual or
1-16     company is a supplier for purposes of this subchapter.
1-17           Sec. 121.503.  DUTY TO PRESSURE TEST.  (a)  A person
1-18     responsible for a school facility shall perform biennial pressure
1-19     tests on the natural gas piping system in each school facility.
1-20     The tests must be performed before the beginning of the school
1-21     year.
1-22           (b)  A person responsible for more than one school facility
1-23     may perform the tests on a two-year cycle under which the pressure
1-24     tests are performed for the natural gas piping systems of
 2-1     approximately one-half of the facilities each year.
 2-2           (c)  If the person responsible for one or more school
 2-3     facilities operates the facilities on a year-round calendar, the
 2-4     pressure test in each of those facilities must be conducted and
 2-5     reported not later than July 1 of the year in which the pressure
 2-6     test is performed.
 2-7           (d)  A test performed under a municipal code satisfies the
 2-8     pressure testing requirements prescribed by this section.
 2-9           Sec. 121.504.  REQUIREMENTS OF TEST.  (a)  The person
2-10     responsible for a school facility shall perform the pressure test
2-11     to determine whether the natural gas piping downstream of the
2-12     school facility's meter holds at least normal operating pressure
2-13     over a specified period determined by the railroad commission.
2-14           (b)  During the pressure test, each system supply inlet and
2-15     outlet in the facility must be closed.
2-16           (c)  At the request of a person responsible for a school
2-17     facility, the railroad commission shall assist the person in
2-18     developing a procedure for conducting the test.
2-19           Sec. 121.505.  NOTICE OF TEST.  (a)  A person responsible for
2-20     a school facility shall provide written notice to the school's
2-21     supplier specifying the date and result of each pressure test or
2-22     other inspection.
2-23           (b)  The supplier shall maintain a copy of the notice until
2-24     at least the first anniversary of the date on which the supplier
2-25     received the notice.
2-26           Sec. 121.506.  TERMINATION OF SERVICE.  A supplier shall
2-27     terminate service to a school facility if:
 3-1                 (1)  the supplier receives official notification from
 3-2     the firm or individual conducting the test of a hazardous natural
 3-3     gas leakage in the facility piping system; or
 3-4                 (2)  a test or other inspection at the facility is not
 3-5     performed as required by this subchapter.
 3-6           Sec. 121.507.  REPORT TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES.  An identified
 3-7     natural gas leakage in a school district facility must be reported
 3-8     to the  board of trustees of the district in which the facility is
 3-9     located.  An identified natural gas leakage in another school
3-10     facility must be reported to the person responsible for the school
3-11     facility.
3-12           Sec. 121.508.  ENFORCEMENT.  The railroad commission shall
3-13     enforce this subchapter.
3-14           SECTION 2.  Article 6053-2a, Revised Statutes, is repealed.
3-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
3-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-20     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-21     passage, and it is so enacted.