Honorable Kip Averitt, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB284 by Anchia (Relating to reporting of international shipments of electronic waste.), As Engrossed
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require businesses in the state of Texas that ship any sort of used computer equipment that is returned to the manufacturer by a consumer in the state to a destination outside the United States to countries not part of the European Union or the Organization for Economic Cooperation for recycling, reuse, or disposal to report to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) annually. The TCEQ would be required to provide a means for the report to be filed electronically and then make the report publicly available on its web site. The TCEQ would be authorized to promulgate rules that could exempt shipments of electronic parts or equipment to countries outside the United States if they are at a level considered to be de minimus or if they are made for humanitarian reasons.
Assuming that the TCEQ could post reports in the format in which they are submitted on the agency’s website and that no data organization or manipulation would take place, the bill is not expected to result in significant costs to the agency.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.