By: Burnam, Lucio III, Callegari H.B. No. 3605

(Senate Sponsor - Hegar)

(In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2013; May 7, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources; May 17, 2013, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 17, 2013, sent to printer.)

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 3605 By: Hegar

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the evaluation by the Texas Water Development Board of applications for financial assistance for certain retail public utilities.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 16.0121, Water Code, is amended by adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:

(g) A retail public utility providing potable water that receives from the board financial assistance shall use a portion of that financial assistance, or any additional financial assistance provided by the board for the purpose described by this subsection, to mitigate the utility's system water loss if, based on a water audit filed by the utility under this section, the water loss meets or exceeds the threshold established by board rule.

(h) For each category of retail public utility listed in Subsection (c), the board shall adopt rules regarding:

(1) the amount of system water loss that requires a utility to take action under Subsection (g); and

(2) the use of financial assistance from the board as required by Subsection (g) to mitigate system water loss.

SECTION 2. Section 17.1245, Water Code, as added by this Act, applies only to an application for financial assistance submitted on or after the effective date of this Act. An application for financial assistance submitted before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the application was submitted, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.

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