HBA-CBW H.B. 3194 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3194 By: Howard Natural Resources 4/4/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Levee Improvement Districts (LIDs) are political subdivisions of the state and are created to construct and maintain levees and other improvements along rivers, creeks, and streams and to provide for the proper drainage of reclaimed land. LIDs may buy property, make loans, and issue bonds secured by ad valorem taxation. The Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District Number __ is composed of 1984 acres of property owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and is intended to enhance the value of the property before the General Land Office offers it for sale on behalf of TxDOT. House Bill 3194 creates the Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District Number __. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 3194 creates the Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District Number __ (district) (Sec. 1.01). The bill provides that the district is governed by a board of five directors (board) and sets forth provisions regarding the appointment, election, qualifications, and terms of the directors, as well as the administration and organization of the board (Secs. 2.01 - 2.08, and 8.02). The bill authorizes the board to employ a general manager, consulting engineers, financial consultants, attorneys, and auditors (Sec. 2.09). The bill authorizes the district to maintain its principal office in Fort Bend County or Travis County if the district has not issued bonds and requires the district to maintain its principal office in Fort Bend County if the district has issued bonds (Sec. 2.11). The bill sets forth provisions regarding the authority of the district and authorizes the district to adopt and enforce rules to implement the Act (Secs. 3.01 and 3.02). The bill authorizes the district to conduct inspections and investigations and hold hearings (Secs. 3.03 and 3.04). The bill also sets forth provisions regarding civil penalties and injunctions and provides that a person who violates a rule, permit, or order of the district is subject to a civil penalty of not less than $50 and not more than $1,000 for each violation (Sec. 3.05). The bill authorizes the district to contract with a person, firm, corporation, municipal corporation, or public agency, the state, the United States, or any agency of the state or the United States to accomplish the purposes for which it is created and sets forth provisions regarding the acquisition and disposition of property (Secs. 3.06 and 3.08). The bill sets forth provisions regarding the disbursement of money, authorizes the district to establish fees and charges and authorizes the district to apply for and receive loans or grants (Secs. 4.01, 4.02, and 4.03.) The bill authorizes the district to issue bonds, bond anticipation notes, refunding bonds, and other obligations (Secs. 5.01- 5.05). The bill authorizes the board to levy and collect ad valorem taxes on land within the district (Secs. 5.06 and 5.07). The bill sets forth provisions regarding addition of land to the district as well as exclusion of land from the district (Articles 6 and 7). EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect on the 91st day after adjournment.