HBA-AMW H.B. 2653 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2653 By: Geren Environmental Regulation 4/1/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) requires entities under its jurisdiction, in certain cases, to issue public notices. In addition to requiring public notices from private entities, TNRCC also occasionally publishes public notices. Although the intent of a public notice is to properly inform the public of impending actions with environmental impacts, there is concern that many notices are written in a highly specialized, technical, or legal language that may be difficult to understand or inappropriate for the readership of the notice. House Bill 2653 requires TNRCC to provide standards for the form and content of public notices so that the form and content of notices is clear and understandable to members of the general public. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in SECTIONS 1 and 2 (Section 5.127, Water Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 2653 amends the Water Code to require the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) by rule to provide standards for the form and content of notices issued or published by TNRCC or by a person under the jurisdiction of TNRCC as required by law or by TNRCC rule. The bill requires TNRCC to adopt these rules to take effect not later than March 1, 2002, and provides that the rules must require that the form and content of notices be clear and understandable to members of the general public. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.