Honorable Geanie Morrison, Chair, House Committee on Environmental Regulation
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2763 by Thompson, Ed (relating to a study of the current and potential economic impacts of recycling.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to conduct a recycling study. The bill would require the study to: assess current recycling efforts and identify ways in which the private and public sectors can improve and increase those efforts; identify new markets and business that may be available from existing and increased recycling of materials; investigate available and new funding for efforts that are identified; and assess current associated jobs and additional job creation opportunities with existing and increased recycling and assess rural infrastructure needs and development opportunities. The TCEQ would be directed to use methodologies developed for other recycling studies performed in this state relating to solid waste. The study would be required to be included in the 2016 summary report titled "Municipal Solid Waste In Texas: A Year in Review.
TCEQ reports that additional resources would be necessary to conduct the study. To complete the study, the agency would need to contract with an external group who could effectively research the items required by the bill. TCEQ would incur costs in coordinating with any external contractor and facilitating the production and distribution of the required reports. This estimate assumes that the additional costs the agency would realize in implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within the agency's existing funding for waste assessment and planning activities.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.