BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	S.B. 594
88R2785 ANG-D	By: Zaffirini
	Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs
	3/30/2023
	As Filed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Water supply corporations (WSCs) are non-profit, member-owned, and member-controlled corporations distinct from water districts, which are local governmental entities. There may be some differences in their organizational structure and scope, but WSCs and water districts share the same primary objective to provide water services. Water districts, however, may not charge recreational vehicle (RV) parks excessive administrative fees nor different rates than similar commercial businesses, while WSCs may. What's more, Texas law does not require water supply corporations to provide sufficient connections and water to RV parks.

                                                                                                   

S.B. 594 would standardize how WSCs and water districts bill RV parks by prohibiting WSCs from assessing administrative fees and charging different rates than similar commercial businesses. The bill also would ensure public drinking water supply systems provide sufficient water capacity, as determined by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, to RV parks. Accordingly, RV park owners would not have to pay disproportioned costs depending on what entity provides water services and could trust that they have enough water for their customers, consequently enhancing the Texan RV park industry.

 

As proposed, S.B. 594 amends current law relating to requirements for and charges for service from public drinking water supply systems.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality SECTION 1 (Section 341.0315, Health and Safety Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 341.0315, Health and Safety Code, by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1), as follows:

 

(c) Requires that each public drinking water supply:

 

(1) meet the requirements of Section 341.031 (Public Drinking Water) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules; and

 

(2) provide a quantity of water or capacity of water sufficient to serve the number of connections served by the public drinking water supply system.

 

(c-1) Requires TCEQ by rule to establish connection equivalency values for each meter size used to serve a recreational vehicle park, as defined by Section 13.087 (Municipal Rates for Certain Recreational Vehicle Parks), Water Code, for use in determining the number of connections served by a public drinking water supply system that provides service through meters, notwithstanding any other law. Requires that the rules:

 

(1) establish that eight recreational vehicle or cabin sites at a recreational vehicle park, whether occupied or not, are equivalent to one residential metered connection; and

 

(2) provide a variance from a connection equivalency value established under this subsection for a public drinking water supply system if actual system usage is more than 10 percent below the equivalency value.

 

SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 13, Water Code, by adding Section 13.152, as follows:

 

Sec. 13.152. BILLING FOR RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARKS. (a) Defines "recreational vehicle park."

 

(b) Provides that a retail public utility, other than a municipally owned utility described by Section 13.087, providing water or sewer service to a recreational vehicle park:

 

(1) is required to ensure that billing for the service is based on actual water usage recorded by the retail public utility; and

 

(2) is prohibited from impose a surcharge based on the number of recreational vehicle or cabin sites in the recreational vehicle park.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2023.