Bill Text: TX SB1299 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to powers of the West Harris County Regional Water Authority relating to certain wells.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective immediately [SB1299 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB1299-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to powers of the West Harris County Regional Water Authority relating to certain wells.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective immediately [SB1299 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB1299-Introduced.html
83R6187 PMO-F | ||
By: Patrick | S.B. No. 1299 |
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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. |