| TO: | Honorable David Dewhurst, Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB700 by Hegar (Relating to energy and water management planning and reporting by state agencies and institutions of higher education. ), Conference Committee Report |
The bill would implement a recommendation in the report "Improve Utility Reporting To Ensure State Entities Are Effectively Managing Water Use" in the Legislative Budget Board's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report, submitted to the Eighty-third Texas Legislature, 2013.
The bill would amend Section 447.009 of the Government Code to direct the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to develop a template for state agencies and institutions of higher education to use in preparing their comprehensive energy and water management plans; direct those agencies and institutions to set percentage goals for reducing their use of water, electricity, gasoline and natural gas and include those goals in their comprehensive energy and water management plan; and direct those agencies and institutions to update their plan annually. The bill would codify certain provisions of Executive Order RP49 and integrate it into provisions relating to requirements in Section 447.009 of the Government Code.
The bill would direct SECO to submit a biennial report to the Governor and the Legislative Budget Board on the status and effectiveness of the utility management and conservation efforts of state agencies and institutions of higher education, and post the report on SECO's Internet website. It is assumed that the provisions of the bill could be accomplished within existing resources, and no significant fiscal impact is anticipated.
| Source Agencies: | 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts
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| LBB Staff: | UP, KJo, JI, PM, LCO, SD
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