Bill Text: TX HB2193 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to powers of the West Harris County Regional Water Authority relating to certain wells.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-04-16 - Companion considered in lieu of in committee [HB2193 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HB2193-Introduced.html
| 83R6187 PMO-F | ||
| By: Callegari | H.B. No. 2193 | |
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| relating to powers of the West Harris County Regional Water | ||
| Authority relating to certain wells. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 4.03, Chapter 414, Acts of the 77th | ||
| Legislature, Regular Session, 2001, is amended by amending | ||
| Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (d-1) and (d-2) to read as | ||
| follows: | ||
| (d) For wells located in Harris County or Fort Bend County, | ||
| the board shall exempt from the charge under Subsection (b) the | ||
| classes of wells that are not subject to any groundwater reduction | ||
| requirement imposed by the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence | ||
| District or the Fort Bend Subsidence District, as appropriate. If | ||
| any of those classes of wells become subject to a groundwater | ||
| reduction requirement imposed by the Harris-Galveston Coastal | ||
| Subsidence District or the Fort Bend Subsidence District, as | ||
| appropriate, the authority may impose the charge under Subsection | ||
| (b) on those wells. For purposes of this subsection, a well is | ||
| subject to a groundwater reduction requirement if the | ||
| Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District or Fort Bend | ||
| Subsidence District, as appropriate, has adopted or adopts a | ||
| requirement or regulation that the well reduce groundwater | ||
| withdrawals or that the well join with other wells to collectively | ||
| reduce groundwater withdrawals, including a groundwater reduction | ||
| that is not required until a future date. | ||
| (d-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (d), the authority may | ||
| impose a charge under Subsection (b) on a well or class of wells | ||
| located in Harris or Fort Bend County that ceases on or after June | ||
| 30, 2013, to be subject to a groundwater reduction requirement | ||
| imposed by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, formerly | ||
| known as the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District, or the | ||
| Fort Bend Subsidence District, as appropriate. | ||
| (d-2) The board by rule may exempt any other classes of | ||
| wells from the charge under Subsection (b). The board may not apply | ||
| the charge under Subsection (b) to a well: | ||
| (1) with a casing diameter of less than five inches | ||
| that solely serves a single-family dwelling; or | ||
| (2) regulated under Chapter 27, Water Code. | ||
| SECTION 2. The West Harris County Regional Water Authority | ||
| retains all rights, powers, privileges, authorities, duties, and | ||
| functions that it had before the effective date of this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. (a) The legislature validates and confirms all | ||
| governmental acts and proceedings of the West Harris County | ||
| Regional Water Authority that were taken before the effective date | ||
| of this Act. | ||
| (b) This section does not apply to any matter that on the | ||
| effective date of this Act: | ||
| (1) is involved in litigation if the litigation | ||
| ultimately results in the matter being held invalid by a final court | ||
| judgment; or | ||
| (2) has been held invalid by a final court judgment. | ||
| SECTION 4. (a) The legal notice of the intention to | ||
| introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this | ||
| Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a | ||
| copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies, | ||
| officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished | ||
| under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313, | ||
| Government Code. | ||
| (b) The governor, one of the required recipients, has | ||
| submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on | ||
| Environmental Quality. | ||
| (c) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed | ||
| its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the | ||
| lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of | ||
| representatives within the required time. | ||
| (d) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this | ||
| state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect | ||
| to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled | ||
| and accomplished. | ||
| SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2013. | ||
