C.S.S.B. 347 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.S.B. 347
By: Barrientos
Natural Resources
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the board of directors of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer
Conservation District (district) is composed of five members, who are
elected from single-member districts.  Members of two of the districts are
elected from the City of Austin.  Whenever the City of Austin annexes 
territory within the district's boundaries, the district must redistrict
to ensure that only two of its members are elected by City of Austin
residents.  As proposed, C.S.S.B. 347 would revise the district's
single-member districts as soon as practicable after the publication of
each federal decennial census as the board considers appropriate to
reflect population changes.  This is in keeping with the redistricting
requirements of other political bodies.    

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 

ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  C.S.S.B. 347 amends Section 7, Chapter 429, Acts of the 70th
Legislature, Regular Session, 1987, by adding Subsections (d), (e), (f),
(g), and (h) as follows:  

(d) This subsection provides that the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer
Conservation District (district) is divided into five numbered,
single-member districts for electing directors.  The bill authorizes the
board of the district (board) to revise the single-member districts as
necessary or appropriate.  

(e) This subsection requires the board to revise the single-member
districts as soon as practicable after the publication of each federal
decennial census as the board considers appropriate to reflect population
changes.  

(f) This subsection requires the board, when the board revises the
single-member districts under Subsection (e), to place two of the
districts entirely within the boundaries of the City of Austin, as they
exist at that time.  The bill provides that changes in the boundaries of
the City of Austin between revisions of the single-member districts under
Subsection (e) do not affect the boundaries of the single-member
districts.  

(g) This subsection provides that the two single-member districts within
the boundaries of the City of Austin are allowed to include unincorporated
areas and other municipalities that are surrounded wholly or partly by the
boundaries of the City of Austin, if the areas or municipalities are
noncontiguous to the territory of any other single-member district. 

(h) This subsection provides that when the boundaries of the single-member
districts are changed, a director in office on the effective date of the
change, or elected or appointed before the effective date of the change to
a term of office beginning on or after the effective date of the change,
is entitled to serve the term or the remainder of the term in the
single-member district to which elected or appointed even though the
change in boundaries places the person's residence outside the
singlemember district for which the person was elected or appointed.  

EFFECTIVE DATE

 September 1, 2003.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The substitute clarifies which areas can be included in the City of Austin
districts listed in subsection (f).  This change allows unincorporated
areas within (wholly or partly) the boundaries of the city to be included
if they are not bordering another single-member district in the Barton
Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District.