SRC-EPT S.B. 898 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 898
By: Averitt
Natural Resources
4/1/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

As proposed, S.B. 898 provides that certain municipal utility districts
are not required to provide escrow funds to the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to secure bond financing for certain
projects.  This bill does not waive the requirement for municipal utility
districts to provide engineering plans for proposed projects to TCEQ, nor
does it impact TCEQ's authority to review the technical merits of proposed
projects.  

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 49.181(h), Water Code, to provide that this
section does not apply to a district if the district, on September 1,
2003:  is a municipal utility district that includes territory in only two
counties; has outstanding long-term indebtedness that is rated BBB or
better by a nationally recognized rating agency for municipal securities;
and has at least 5,000 active water connections. 

SECTION 2.  Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 3.  Effective date:  upon passage or September 1, 2003.