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Amend CSHB 1251 (house committee printing) as follows:
(1) Add the following SECTION to the bill, numbered
appropriately:
SECTION ____. Subchapter C, Chapter 364, Health and Safety
Code, is amended by adding Section 364.0341 to read as follows:
Sec. 364.0341. SERVICES IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF CERTAIN
COUNTIES. (a) In order to help provide for the public health and
safety of its citizens and in order to help deter the dumping of
litter, garbage, refuse, building materials, and other matter on
state-owned public beaches and adjoining sand dunes, the
commissioners court of a county bordering both on the shoreline of
the Gulf of Mexico or its tidewater limits and on the shoreline of
Galveston Bay or its tidewater limits by order may:
(1) grant an exclusive franchise for solid waste
collection and transportation services within unincorporated areas
of the county to a legal entity engaged in providing solid waste
disposal services;
(2) offer solid waste disposal service to persons in the
unincorporated areas of the county;
(3) mandate the use of the service by persons in the
unincorporated areas of the county;
(4) charge fees for the service; and
(5) establish the service as a utility separate from
other utilities located in the unincorporated areas of the county.
(b) A fee for a service provided under this section may be
collected by:
(1) the county;
(2) a private or public utility that contracts with the
county to provide the service; or
(3) another private or public entity that contracts
with the county to collect the fees.
(c) A county may contract with a public or private utility to
collect a fee for a service provided under this section. The
contract may:
(1) require that the fee for the service be included in
the bill for other utility services;
(2) allow a fee to be paid to the utility for billing and
collecting the fee;
(3) require a system of accounting for fees collected by
an entity other than the county; and
(4) contain other terms as agreed to by the parties.
(d) To aid enforcement of the fee collection for the solid
waste disposal service:
(1) a county or the public or private entity that has
contracted with the county to provide the service may suspend
service to a person who is delinquent in payment of solid waste
disposal service fees until the delinquent claim is fully paid; and
(2) a public or private utility that bills and collects
solid waste disposal service fees under this section may suspend
service of that utility, in addition to the suspension of solid
waste disposal services, to a person who is delinquent in the
payment of the solid waste disposal service fee until the
delinquent claim is fully paid.
(2) Renumber subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly.