BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3743

By: Workman

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There is concern that roads built in the West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 5 do not conform to the standard that Travis County requires for annexation for maintenance purposes and that, although those roads need to be maintained, there is no mechanism in law for doing so. Recent indications that the Lower Colorado River Authority is exploring divestiture of its small water systems, one of which supplies the West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 5, is another source of concern for the district. C.S.H.B. 3743 seeks to address these concerns by providing the district with the ability to repair the existing roads within its boundaries and the ability to bid on a water system that provides potable and nonpotable water to the residents and businesses within its boundaries.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3743 amends Chapter 1214, Acts of the 71st Legislature, Regular Session, 1989, to establish that, in addition to the rights, powers, privileges, authority, functions, and duties provided by the general law of the state, including provisions generally applicable to water districts and provisions applicable to municipal utility districts created under constitutional provisions relating to conservation and reclamation districts, the West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 5 has all of the rights, powers, privileges, authority, functions, and duties relating to road districts and road utility districts created under constitutional provisions relating to counties, cities, or other political corporations or subdivisions and the lending of credit, grants, and bonds, and the district has all of the rights, powers, privileges, authority, functions, and duties relating to supply and distribution facilities or systems to provide potable and nonpotable water to the residents and businesses of Travis and Hays Counties.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3743 omits a provision included in the original defining "board" for purposes of provisions of law relating to the West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 5.  The substitute differs from the original in nonsubstantive ways by using language reflective of certain bill drafting conventions.