BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.S.B. 484
By: Fraser, Harris
Committee Report (Substituted)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, the Electric Utility Restructuring Legislative Oversight Committee (committee) is composed of three members of the Texas House of Representatives and three members of the Texas Senate. The committee is co-chaired by the chairman of the House Committee on Regulated Industries and a senator appointed by the lieutenant governor.
C.S.S.B. 484 provides that the chair of the House Committee on Regulated Industries and the chair of the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce are the co-chairs of the committee. Additionally, this bill authorizes the committee to study the reliability, economic viability, and environmental impact of new fuels on generation technology. Finally, this bill requires the committee to meet at least twice annually to encourage cooperation and coordination with certain entities and to report on the committee's activities, not later than November 15 of each even-numbered year, to certain persons.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to any state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 39.907, Utilities Code, by amending Subsections (b), (e), and (h) and adding Subsections (i), (j), and (k), as follows:
(b) Adds the chair of the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce to the list that sets forth the six-person membership of the Electric Utility Restructuring Legislative Oversight Committee (committee) and decreases the number of other senators appointed to the committee by the lieutenant governor from three to two. Makes conforming changes.
(e) Adds to the committee requirements the provision that the committee is mandated to study and seek policies to ensure that fuel resources available to the state are used in a balanced and efficient manner, and consider the reliability, economic viability, and environmental impact of new fuels and generation technologies. Makes conforming changes.
(h) Requires the chair of the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce, in addition to the chair of the House Committee on Regulated Industries and instead of one of the members of the senate serving on the committee, designated by the lieutenant governor, to serve as a joint chair of the committee.
(i) Requires the committee to meet at least twice annually to encourage cooperation and coordination with certain entities, in addition to the duties under Subsection (e).
(j) Requires the committee to consider and discuss certain policies and strategies to ensure that fuel resources available to the state are used in a balanced and efficient manner while taking into consideration the reliability, economic viability, and environmental impact of fuels and technologies.
(k) Requires the committee to report, not later than November 15 of each even-numbered year, to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives on the committee's activities under Subsection (j).
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.