BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 2124

By: Zaffirini

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The bill sponsor has informed the house committee that the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee, which is responsible for coordinating state agency actions to protect groundwater quality and terrestrial and aquatic life, is required by statute to publish a joint groundwater monitoring and contamination report each year not later than April 1 that covers the activities and findings of the committee made during the previous calendar year. The bill sponsor has also informed the house committee that development of the report requires agency programs to close out calendar year activities, gather and analyze significant volumes of data, and conduct further analysis, that these processes can be time-consuming, and that the deadline can put unnecessary strain on the agencies. S.B. 2124 seeks to address this issue by changing the deadline in order to ensure that agency programs and the protection committee have adequate time to produce a quality report.

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

S.B. 2124 amends the Water Code to change from not later than April 1 to not later than June 1 the annual deadline by which the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee, in conjunction with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, is required to publish a joint groundwater monitoring and contamination report covering the activities and findings of the committee made during the previous calendar year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.