LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 22, 2013

TO:	Honorable Patricia Harless, Chair, House Committee on Environmental Regulation
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB3222 by Springer (Relating to the factors to be considered in determining the amount of certain administrative penalties imposed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would provide that for assessing a penalty against a municipality or county, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) would be required to develop a penalty schedule that takes into account the population of the municipality or county, charging all municipalities and counties proportionally equal. The bill would only apply to violations relating to Water Code, Chapter 7. 

Passage of the bill is not expected to result in significant fiscal implications to the TCEQ.

Local Government Impact

Passage of the bill would presumably result in some savings to smaller local governments, since it assumed that the TCEQ would assess lower penalties against such entities upon passage of the bill. 

Source Agencies:

582 Commission on Environmental Quality

LBB Staff:

UP, SZ, TL