BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 2452 |
By: Bonnen, Dennis |
Natural Resources |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The current drought in Texas has severely constrained surface water supplies across the state. Interested parties note that in the Brazos River Basin in particular, senior water rights were threatened in recent years due to the drought. The interested parties contend that the creation of a watermaster program for the Brazos River would assist the state in allocating, monitoring, and controlling the use of surface water on the river. C.S.H.B. 2452 seeks to address this issue by establishing provisions relating to the appointment of a watermaster for the Brazos River Basin.
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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.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 2452 amends the Water Code to require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to create a water division that includes the entire Brazos River Basin. The bill requires the executive director of TCEQ to appoint a watermaster for that water division. The bill caps an annual fee assessed by TCEQ to fund the Brazos River watermaster program at $120 for the holder of a right to appropriate water from the Brazos River solely for agricultural use and prohibits the fee from being assessed against a person who takes water solely for domestic or livestock purposes.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 2452 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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