BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4624

By: González, Mary

Land & Resource Management

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding access to basic infrastructure, such as potable water, for rural communities known as colonias near the Texas-Mexico border. Specifically, families in Cochran colonia in El Paso County currently lack access to potable water infrastructure and have expressed a desire to be included in the territory of the Horizon Regional Municipal Utility District. C.S.H.B. 4624 seeks to expand the district's territory to include this area, contingent on voter approval.

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. 4624 amends Chapter 32, Acts of the 57th Legislature, 1st Called Session, 1961, to authorize the inclusion of a certain area into the territory of the Horizon Regional Municipal Utility District, contingent on an election being held within the area and the successful passage of a proposition on the question of:

· inclusion of the area in the district;

· authorizing the assumption by the area of a proportional part of the bonds, notes, obligations, and taxes of the district outstanding at the time of the election; and

· authorizing the assumption by the area of a proportional part of the bonds payable wholly or partly by taxes that have been previously approved but not yet issued or sold by the district and the imposition of a tax on all taxable property within the area along with a tax on the rest of the district for payment of those bonds.

The bill sets out the metes and bounds of the area that may be included in the district.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 4624 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 original expanded the district's territory to include an additional area. The substitute makes the inclusion of this area in the district's territory contingent on approval from voters in the area at an election.