| TO: | Honorable Bill Callegari, Chair, House Committee on Government Reform |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB601 by Thompson (Relating to the requirement that state agencies identify and address adverse human health and environmental effects on minority populations and low-income populations.), As Introduced |
This bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to establish an interagency working group on environmental justice to study and report to the Governor environmental justice issues affecting the state. Members of the group would include representatives from thirteen state agencies. The bill would require executive agencies with statewide jurisdiction to develop an environmental justice strategy and report the results to the interagency commission in five cumulative steps from January 1, 2008 to November 1, 2009. The bill would require each executive state agency to collect, maintain, and analyze information assessing and comparing environmental and health risks borne by populations identified by race, national origin, or income.
This estimate assumes that any costs associated with compiling information, developing environmental strategies, and participating in the working group could be reasonably absorbed within each member agency's existing budget.
| Source Agencies: | 301 Office of the Governor, 302 Office of the Attorney General, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 305 General Land Office and Veterans' Land Board, 320 Texas Workforce Commission, 332 Department of Housing and Community Affairs, 455 Railroad Commission, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 537 State Health Services, Department of, 551 Department of Agriculture, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 802 Parks and Wildlife Department
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, MN, ZS, TL
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