LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                                May 2, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable J.E. "Buster" Brown, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Natural Resources
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB2690  by Walker (Relating to enforcement measures
               available to groundwater conservation districts.),
               Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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Local Government Impact
  
The bill would allow groundwater conservation districts to set, by rule,
reasonable civil penalties for breach of any rule of the district.
Penalties could not exceed $10,000 per day per violation, with each day
of a continuing violation constituting a separate violation. If the
district prevails in any suit to enforce its rules, the court would be
required to order the defendant to pay for the district's attorney's fees
and other costs associated with the lawsuit.

Groundwater conservation districts could experience significant revenue
gain only if there were to be a large number of violations and the
maximum penalty was to be imposed; otherwise, no significant fiscal
impact is anticipated to units of local government.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, CL, DB