SRC-JLB, TAG S.B. 780 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 780
782861 QS-FBy: Armbrister
Natural Resources
4/9/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Municipalities, counties, and political subdivisions have allowed
irrigation systems to be installed without any permitting or inspection
requirement, resulting in the installation of many poorly designed systems
that waste millions of gallons per day.  As proposed, S.B. 780 requires
municipalities and political subdivisions to ensure that an irrigation
system has a rain shut-off device.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 1903.053, Occupations Code, by adding
Subsection (d) to require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
(TCEQ)  to adopt standards requiring a newly installed or modified
irrigation system to have a rain shut-off device that overrides the
irrigation cycle of the system when a specified amount of rainfall has
occurred, notwithstanding Subsection (b).  

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2003.