BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1520

By: Kitzman

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

First established in 1935 as the Sabine-Neches Conservation District, the Angelina and Neches River Authority (ANRA) primarily provides water and wastewater services to rural communities. ANRA, which is not subject to abolishment under the Texas Sunset Act, acquires, rehabilitates, and operates these systems at the wholesale and retail level. ANRA also monitors water quality in the Neches River basin, issues permits for on-site sewage facilities, and operates a composting facility. Overall, the Sunset Advisory Commission identified good governance standards and best practices that would strengthen ANRA's operations. C.S.H.B. 1520 seeks to implement those standards and practices for ANRA and provide for its next sunset review in 2037.

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. 1520 amends the Special District Local Laws Code to set the next review of the Angelina and Neches River Authority (ANRA) under the Texas Sunset Act to be conducted during the 2036-2037 review cycle.

C.S.H.B. 1520 revises provisions governing ANRA to implement across-the-board Sunset Advisory Commission policy recommendations relating to the following:

· board member training;

· gubernatorial designation of the presiding officer of ANRA's board of directors;

· specific grounds for removal of a board member;

· public testimony before the board;

· separation of the board's policy-making responsibilities and the staff's management responsibilities; and

· maintenance of a complaint system.

The bill provides for the transition to the new training requirements for current board members.

C.S.H.B. 1520 decreases from six years to four years the length of a board member's term and provides for the transition to the decreased term length. The bill requires the board to employ a general manager.

C.S.H.B. 1520 establishes that all applicable requirements relating to the following have been fulfilled and accomplished with respect to the bill:

· the legal notice of intention to introduce;

· governor action;

· Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recommendations; and

· the state constitution and laws and legislative rules and procedures.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1520 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes provisions that were not in the introduced decreasing from six years to four years the length of a board member's term and providing for the transition to the decreased term length.