HBA-KDB H.B. 2983 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2983 By: Corte State Affairs 4/1/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, a utility is not required to disclose the route of a proposed new transmission or distribution line to property owners. Such a disclosure would provide property owners the opportunity to evaluate the potential impact of a new transmission or distribution line. House Bill 2983 requires the Public Utility Commission to adopt and enforce a rule that requires a utility to disclose the route of a proposed new transmission or distribution line to all property owners within one-half mile of such a line. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Public Utility Commission in SECTION 1 (Section 17.003, Utilities Code). ANALYSIS House Bill 2983 amends the Utilities Code to require the Public Utility Commission to adopt and enforce a rule that requires a utility to disclose the route of a proposed new transmission or distribution line to all property owners within one-half mile of the proposed new transmission or distribution line. The bill provides that the rule must require that this disclosure be made a permanent part of the deed records associated with the property both underlying the route and property within one-half mile of the new route. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.