BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 2376 |
By: Walle |
Natural Resources |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties contend that proceeds from on-site wastewater treatment permit application processing fees are not being used for their intended purpose, which is the awarding of competitive grants relating to on-site wastewater treatment research. C.S.H.B. 2376 seeks to address this issue by restricting the use of those proceeds.
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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. 2376 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), in awarding competitive grants relating to on-site wastewater treatment research, to do so solely for the purpose of supporting applied research and demonstration projects by accredited colleges and universities in Texas, by other governmental entities, or by acceptable public or private research centers regarding on-site wastewater treatment technology and systems applicable to Texas that are directed toward improving the quality of wastewater treatment and reducing the cost of providing wastewater treatment to consumers by removing as an authorized purpose for awarding such grants the enhancement of technology transfer regarding on-site wastewater treatment by using educational courses, seminars, symposia, publications, and other forms of information dissemination. The bill specifies that the research and projects for which a grant may be awarded include such directed toward wastewater reuse. The bill removes the requirement for TCEQ to seek the advice of relevant experts when holding educational conferences associated with activities relating to on‑site wastewater treatment research. The bill restricts the use of proceeds from on-site wastewater treatment permit application processing fees to purposes relating to the administration of on-site wastewater treatment research grants and to the awarding of competitive grants.
C.S.H.B. 2376 amends the Water Code to make a conforming change.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2017.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 2376 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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