BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 382

By: Ortega

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised that certain municipal utilities, such as a utility in El Paso, are prohibited from offering municipal utility discounts or relief for disadvantaged residential customers. H.B. 382 seeks to address this issue by authorizing certain municipal utilities to establish a bill payment assistance program for certain utility system customers.

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.

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.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 382 amends the Local Government Code to authorize the board of trustees in which the management and control of a municipal utility system located in a county with a population of at least 800,000 and that is located on an international border is vested to establish a bill payment assistance program for its utility system's customers who have exhausted all private and nonprofit sources of utility assistance and who received notice of disconnection of service for nonpayment of bills or who the utility determines are low-income customers.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.