BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1993

By: Holland

Business & Industry

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Corrugated stainless steel tubing is one of several products on the market used to deliver natural gas and propane in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. Many builders choose this tubing because it is flexible and requires significantly fewer fittings than traditional iron pipe, making it easier to connect appliances. However, this tubing can be dangerous if punctured or if it is incorrectly installed and the building where it is installed experiences a significant electric shock, such as arcing or lightning. There are concerns that potential home buyers are not fully aware that their prospective new home may contain this material. C.S.H.B. 1993 seeks to address this issue by including corrugated stainless steel tubing among the property features disclosed in a seller's disclosure statement.

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. 1993 amends the Property Code to include fuel gas piping consisting of either black iron pipe, copper, or corrugated stainless steel tubing in the checklist of known property features required to be disclosed in a seller's disclosure of the condition of residential real property.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1993 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 does not include a requirement for the seller's disclosure to include a statement that corrugated stainless steel tubing may be damaged by lightning, electrical arcing, or punctures, which may result in a release of fuel gas. The substitute does not include a specification that the corrugated stainless steel tubing is yellow or black.

The substitute includes copper among the materials included by the bill on the checklist.