BILL ANALYSIS
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Senate Research Center |
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AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Interested parties have raised concerns regarding cities that have been subject to disciplinary action by the Texas Commission on Environment Quality for having a public water supply system operator who is a volunteer and not a paid employee of the city. The parties contend that current law does not explicitly allow for a licensed volunteer to be a public water system operator. H.B. 1146 clarifies that a licensed water supply system operator may be a volunteer and requires the owner or manager of the water supply system to maintain records regarding the volunteer operator.
H.B. 1146 amends current law relating to persons who may operate a public water supply system.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in SECTION 3 of this bill.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 341.033, Health and Safety Code, by adding Subsection (a-1), to authorize the licensed operator of a water supply system to be a volunteer. Requires the owner or manager of a water supply system that is operated by a volunteer to maintain a record of each volunteer operator showing the name of the volunteer, contact information for the volunteer, and the time period for which the volunteer is responsible for operating the water supply system.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 341.034(a), Health and Safety Code, to require a person who operates a public water supply on a contract or volunteer basis to hold a registration issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under Chapter 37 (Occupational Licensing and Registration), Water Code.
SECTION 3. Requires TCEQ to adopt rules necessary to implement Sections 341.033 and 341.034, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act, not later than December 1, 2015.
SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2015.