BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3099

By: Nevárez

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding water management in certain areas of Texas, such as Val Verde County. It has been suggested that the adoption of standards by the Texas Water Development Board for water management by a conservation and reclamation district in the area would improve efforts to manage groundwater and river and spring flows. C.S.H.B. 3099 seeks to address this issue by providing for the adoption of those standards.

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

C.S.H.B. 3099 amends the Water Code to require the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), in coordination with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), to adopt standards for water management by a conservation and reclamation district in a county bordering the Rio Grande, overlying the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer, and with a population greater than 40,000. The bill requires the standards to address groundwater management and river and spring flow, including flow requirements for the Devils River, the Pecos River, and San Felipe Springs. The bill requires the agencies to use existing funds to adopt the standards.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 3099 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a specification that the TWDB is required to adopt standards in coordination with TCEQ and TPWD. The substitute includes a requirement for the agencies to use existing funds to adopt those standards.