By: Averitt  S.B. No. 1667
         (In the Senate - Filed March 8, 2007; March 21, 2007, read
  first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources;
  April 4, 2007, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 11,
  Nays 0; April 4, 2007, sent to printer.)
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the amount of an administrative penalty assessed by the
  Railroad Commission of Texas for a violation of the Texas Surface
  Coal Mining and Reclamation Act or a permit issued under that act.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subsection (b), Section 134.174, Natural
  Resources Code, is amended to read as follows:
         (b)  The penalty may not exceed $10,000 [$5,000] for each
  violation. Each day a violation continues may be considered a
  separate violation for purposes of penalty assessments.
         SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to the assessment of an administrative penalty under Section
  134.174, Natural Resources Code, for a violation that occurs on or
  after the effective date of this Act. The assessment of an
  administrative penalty under Section 134.174, Natural Resources
  Code, for a violation that occurs before the effective date of this
  Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the violation
  occurred, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
 
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