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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to management plans adopted by groundwater conservation |
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districts. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 36.1071, Water Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsections (b-1), (b-2), and |
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(b-3) to read as follows: |
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(b) The management plan, or any amendments to the plan, |
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shall: |
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(1) be developed using the district's best available |
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data and forwarded to the regional water planning group for use in |
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their planning process; and |
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(2) include: |
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(A) the most recently approved desired future |
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conditions adopted under Section 36.108; and |
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(B) the amount of modeled available groundwater |
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corresponding to the most recently approved desired future |
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conditions. |
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(b-1) A district shall amend a management plan before the |
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second anniversary of the adoption of desired future conditions |
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included under Subsection (b). |
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(b-2) If a petition challenging the reasonableness of a |
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desired future condition is filed under Section 36.1083(b), the |
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executive administrator shall consider the management plan |
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administratively complete if the district includes: |
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(1) the most recently approved desired future |
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conditions adopted under Section 36.108; |
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(2) the amount of modeled available groundwater |
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corresponding to those desired future conditions; |
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(3) a statement of the status of the petition |
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challenging the reasonableness of a desired future condition; and |
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(4) the information required by Subsections (a) and |
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(e). |
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(b-3) Subsection (b-2) applies until either: |
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(1) the district issues a final order under Section |
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36.1083(n); or |
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(2) if a desired future condition is found to be |
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unreasonable in the final order, a new desired future condition is |
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adopted pursuant to Section 36.108 or 36.1083(p). |
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SECTION 2. Section 36.1072(b), Water Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) Within 60 days of receipt of a district's management |
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plan adopted under Section 36.1071, readopted under Subsection (e) |
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or (g) of this section, or amended under Section 36.1073, the |
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executive administrator shall approve the district's plan if the |
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plan is administratively complete. A management plan is |
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administratively complete when it contains the information |
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required to be submitted under Sections [Section] 36.1071(a) and |
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(e) or meets the requirements of Section 36.1071(b-2), if |
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applicable. The executive administrator may determine whether |
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conditions justify waiver of the requirements under Section |
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36.1071(e)(4). |
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SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act applicable to |
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a petition filed under Section 36.1083, Water Code, apply only to a |
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petition filed under that section on or after the effective date of |
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this Act. A petition filed before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect on the date the petition was filed, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |