| TO: | Honorable David Dewhurst, Lieutenant Governor, Senate |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1044 by Janek (Relating to efforts by coastal counties to mitigate coastal erosion and improve public access to public beaches; authorizing the issuance of bonds by coastal counties. ), As Passed 2nd House |
The bill would amend Chapter 33 of the Natural Resources Code to provide funding sources for projects to mitigate coastal erosion. The fiscal impact to the state depends primarily on the level of appropriations by the legislature. Most requests for funding for coastal erosion projects range in costs from $50,000 to $3,000,000.
The bill would also allow residential lots of one acre or less fronting a bay to be restored to the original boundaries without using state funds. These properties would have to be privately owned and not submerged or owned by the School Land Board on December 31, 1955. The bill would also add a section to provide property rights of qualifying private landowners, leasees of public school land, and local taxing units. The bill would grant the GLO the authority to adopt rules by December 1, 2005, for the administration and regulation of land affected by coastal erosion.
Although the agency indicates that the value of submerged lands and their corresponding mineral rights could be in the millions after the lands have been reclaimed, currently, the GLO is receiving very little income from submerged lands and corresponding mineral rights and therefore for purposes of this fiscal note, it is assumed that any losses to the PSF resulting from passage of this legislation would be minimal.
| Source Agencies: | 305 General Land Office and Veterans' Land Board
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, WK, ZS, JF
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