79R13640 QS-D


By:  Puente                                                       H.B. No. 2914

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2914:                                   

By:  Puente                                                   C.S.H.B. No. 2914



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to requirements and permits for irrigation systems.                  
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Chapter 401, Local Government Code, is amended 
by adding Section 401.006 to read as follows:
	Sec. 401.006.  IRRIGATION SYSTEMS.  (a)  A municipality with 
a population of 5,000 or more by ordinance shall require an 
installer of an irrigation system:
		(1)  to hold a license issued under Section 1903.251, 
Occupations Code; and
		(2)  to obtain a permit before installing a system 
within the territorial limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction of 
the municipality.
	(b)  The ordinance shall include minimum standards and 
specifications for designing, installing, and operating irrigation 
systems in accordance with Section 1903.053, Occupations Code, and 
any rules adopted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 
under that section.
	(c)  A municipality may employ or contract with a licensed 
plumbing inspector or a licensed irrigator to enforce the 
ordinance.
	(d)  This section does not apply to an on-site sewage 
disposal system, as defined by Section 366.002, Health and Safety 
Code.
	SECTION 2.  Section 1903.053(b), Occupations Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
	(b)  The commission shall [may] adopt:          
		(1)  standards relating to:                                     
			(A)  the design, installation, and operation of
[for] irrigation systems;
			(B)  [that include] water conservation; and   
			(C)  the duties and responsibilities of licensed 
irrigators; and    
		(2)  rules that provide for effective enforcement of 
those standards[, irrigation system design and installation, and 
compliance with municipal codes].
	SECTION 3.  Not later than June 1, 2006, the Texas Commission 
on Environmental Quality shall adopt rules as required by Section 
1903.053, Occupations Code, as amended by this Act, to take effect 
January 1, 2007.
	SECTION 4.  Not later than January 1, 2007, a municipality 
with a population of 5,000 or more shall adopt an ordinance under 
Section 401.006, Local Government Code, as added by this Act.
	SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.