Honorable John T. Smithee, Chair, House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3240 by Springer (Relating to liability of certain gas utilities providing services or materials in the inspection, construction, or repair of a gas pipeline.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Civil Practice and Remedies Code to stipulate that a gas utility performing certain duties is not liable to a governmental unit or institution of higher education for damages. This would apply if, at the time, the utility was providing services or materials at the request of such an entity in response to an emergency, and provided the damages were not caused by the utility's willful misconduct. According to the Railroad Commission of Texas and Texas Facilities Commission, no fiscal impact is anticipated as a result of the bill. Texas A&M University System Administration reported no significant fiscal impact anticipated as a result of the bill. The University of Texas System Administration reported that the shift in liability to a governmental unit or institution would likely result in a significant cost, if an accident were to occur after September 1, 2017. However, the potential costs cannot be determined because the scale of any future accident is unknown.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
303 Facilities Commission, 455 Railroad Commission, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration