BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 3405 |
By: Isaac |
Natural Resources |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties note that there is an area in Hays County that is not within the boundaries of a groundwater conservation district, and the parties contend that this is a problem. C.S.H.B. 3405 seeks to remedy this problem.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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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. 3405 amends the Special District Local Laws Code to include in the territory of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District any territory that is inside the boundaries of the Edwards Aquifer Authority and Hays County and that is not within the boundaries of the Plum Creek Conservation District as those boundaries existed on February, 1, 2015. The bill grants the Edwards Aquifer Authority jurisdiction over any well that is drilled to produce water from the Edwards Aquifer in such shared territory. The bill grants the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District jurisdiction over any well that is drilled to produce water from any aquifer other than the Edwards Aquifer in such shared territory and over any well that is drilled to produce water from the Edwards Aquifer or any other aquifer in the district's territory as described by statute. The bill establishes that except for the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and the Edwards Aquifer Authority, no district or authority created under certain constitutional provisions has authority in the shared territory to regulate the spacing of water wells or the production from water wells.
C.S.H.B. 3405 requires the board of directors of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, as soon as practicable after the bill's effective date and in conformance with applicable statutory requirements, to revise the district's single-member districts as the board considers appropriate to reflect the changes in territory made by the bill. The bill provides for the validation and confirmation of certain district actions and proceedings taken before the bill's effective date.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 3405 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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