BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 669
	By: Springer
	Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs
	5/25/2021
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The 82nd Texas Legislature required the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to submit a biennial report to the legislature that includes the most recent data relating to statewide water usage in the residential, industrial, agricultural, commercial, and institutional sectors, along with information on the related data collection and reporting program developed in coordination with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. TWDB recommends that the formal report requirement be eliminated because the information is included in regular reporting on TWDB's Water Use Survey website more frequently than the report requirement. Eliminating the report would conserve TWDB resources while not removing essential data provided to the legislature and public. Like other legislative reports, considerable staff time is required to draft, review, edit, publish, and deliver a formal report; TWDB believes that the necessary data and program transparency can be achieved by posting the information online and thus expending fewer agency resources.

The 86th Texas Legislature directed TWDB, in coordination with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, to prepare a report on the repair and maintenance needs of dams that are not licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, do not have flood storage, are required to pass flood waters, and have failed. A report on dams meeting these criteria has been submitted to the 87th Legislature, and no further reporting is anticipated unless an additional failure occurs.

S.B. 669 amends current law relating to certain reports created by the Texas Water Development Board.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 16.403(d), Water Code, as follows:

(d) Requires the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to make publicly available the most recent data relating to certain statewide water usage and conservation information. Deletes existing text requiring TWDB, not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, to submit to the legislature a report that includes the most recent data relating to certain statewide water usage and conservation information.

SECTION 2. Repealer: Section 201.0227(d-1) (relating to a report prepared by TWDB of the repair and maintenance needs of certain dams), Agriculture Code.

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2021.