Bill Text: TX SB2617 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Relating to the Rio Grande Regional Water Authority; affecting the qualifications of a member of the board of directors of the authority.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-05-30 - Recommendations filed with the Senate [SB2617 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-SB2617-Introduced.html
  88R22804 MP-F
 
  By: Hinojosa S.B. No. 2617
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the Rio Grande Regional Water Authority; affecting the
  qualifications of a member of the board of directors of the
  authority.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 1.01(1), Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is amended to read as follows:
               (1)  "Authority" means the Lower Rio Grande Regional
  Water Authority.
         SECTION 2.  Section 1.02(a), Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A conservation and reclamation district, to be known as
  the Lower Rio Grande Regional Water Authority is created.
         SECTION 3.  Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th Legislature,
  Regular Session, 2003, is amended by adding Section 1.025 to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 1.025.  NAME CHANGE.  A reference in law to the Rio
  Grande Regional Water Authority means the Lower Rio Grande Regional
  Water Authority.
         SECTION 4.  Section 1.05, Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 1.05.  BOUNDARIES.  The boundaries of the authority are
  coextensive with the boundaries of Cameron, Hidalgo, and [Starr,
  Webb,] Willacy[, and Zapata] counties[, except that the authority
  does not include the area within the corporate limits of the City of
  Laredo].
         SECTION 5.  Section 2.01, Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 2.01.  BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  (a)  The board consists of
  11 [18] directors.
         (b)  Four directors are appointed by majority vote of the
  Cameron County Commissioners Court [Twelve directors are appointed
  by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate], as
  follows:
               (1)  [nine directors who represent irrigation
  districts that are members of the conference from a list of nominees
  submitted by the committee of irrigation districts convened under
  Section 1A.03 of this Act;
               [(2)]  one director who represents the public;
               (2)  two directors who represent [(3)  one director who
  represents] municipal class entities that are members of the
  conference; and
               (3) [(4)]  one director who represents water supply
  corporations that are members of the conference.
         (b-1)  Four directors are appointed by majority vote of the
  Hidalgo County Commissioners Court, as follows:
               (1)  one director who represents the public;
               (2)  two directors who represent municipal class
  entities that are members of the conference; and 
               (3)  one director who represents water supply
  corporations that are members of the conference.
         (b-2)  Two directors are appointed by majority vote of the
  Willacy County Commissioners Court, as follows:
               (1)  one director who represents either the public or
  municipal class entities that are members of the conference; and
               (2)  one director who represents water supply
  corporations that are members of the conference.
         (b-3)  One director is appointed by the governor.  The
  director appointed under this subsection:
               (1)  serves as the presiding officer of the board;
               (2)  serves at the pleasure of the governor; and
               (3)  does not vote at a board meeting except to break a
  tie vote.
         (c)  A [One director is appointed from each of the six
  counties in the authority by majority vote of the commissioners
  court of that county.  In January of a year in which a director's
  term expires, the commissioners court of the appropriate county
  shall appoint a director for a four-year term beginning February 1
  of that year.  In addition to meeting the requirements of Subsection
  (c-1) of this section, if applicable, a] director appointed as
  provided by this section [subsection] must:
               (1)  be a registered voter; and
               (2)  [reside in the county from which the director is
  appointed; and
               [(3)]  work in a water-related field or have special
  knowledge of water issues.
         (c-1)  A director appointed under this section who
  represents a conference member must be an employee or director of
  the conference member [Subsection (c) of this section must reside
  in the most populous municipality in the county from which the
  director is appointed if the county:
               [(1)  does not hold water rights;
               [(2)  does not have a certificate of convenience and
  necessity to provide water service; and
               [(3)  is not a water service provider].
         (c-2)  A director appointed to represent the public under
  this section or the director's spouse may not be an employee or
  director of a conference member. 
         (d)  The appointing entities described by Subsections (b),
  (b-1), and (b-2) of this section shall appoint members in a manner
  that ensures:
               (1)  at least one qualified voter of each county in the
  authority is appointed as a director; and
               (2)  not more than six directors are qualified voters
  of the same county.
         [(e)  Initial directors serve until permanent directors are
  appointed.]
         (f)  Except as provided by Subsection (b-3), directors 
  [Directors] appointed under [Subsection (b) or (c) of] this section
  serve staggered three-year [four-year] terms.
         (g)  Each [Except as provided by Subsection (c) of this
  section, each] director must be a qualified voter of this [the]
  state and reside [residing] within the boundaries of the authority.
         (h)  A director who represents a member of the conference is
  no longer eligible to be a member of the board if the annual fees or
  assessments from the conference for the member are thirty days or
  more past due [In making an appointment under Subsection (b)(1) of
  this section, the governor may reject one or more of the nominees on
  a list submitted by the committee of irrigation districts and
  request a new list of different nominees. The second list of
  nominees must be submitted to the governor not later than the 14th
  day after the date of the governor's request for a new list. If the
  governor rejects one or more of the nominees on the second list, the
  governor may request a third, final list of nominees, that must be
  submitted to the governor not later than the 14th day after the date
  of the governor's request for the third list. If the governor
  rejects one or more of the nominees on the third list, the governor
  may select any person who represents an irrigation district that is
  a member of the conference to serve as a director].
         (i)  The watermaster serves as a nonvoting advisor to the
  board.
         SECTION 6.  Section 2.03, Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 2.03.  VACANCY.  (a)  [The governor shall fill a vacancy
  that occurs in the office of a director appointed by the governor.
         [(b)]  The commissioners court of a county shall fill a
  vacancy that occurs in the office of a director appointed by [from]
  that county.
         (b) [(c)]  A person appointed to a vacant position serves for
  the unexpired part of the term.
         SECTION 7.  Sections 2.06(a) and (b), Chapter 385, Acts of
  the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, are amended to read as
  follows:
         (a)  The board shall elect from among its members [a
  president,] a vice president[,] and a secretary-treasurer.
         (b)  The president is the director appointed under Section
  2.01(b-3) and is the chief executive officer of the authority.  [The
  president may not vote at a board meeting except to break a tie
  vote.]
         SECTION 8.  Section 3.08(b), Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is amended to read as follows:
         (b)  The board shall timely review and certify the [each]
  list provided under Subsection (a) of this section.
         SECTION 9.  Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th Legislature,
  Regular Session, 2003, is amended by adding Section 3.09 to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 3.09.  DETERMINATION OF CONNECTIONS. (a)  Not later
  than September 1 of each year, the board shall request from the
  commission the number of connections served by each member of the
  conference.
         (b)  The board shall timely review and certify the
  information provided under Subsection (a) of this section.
         SECTION 10.  Section 4.04, Chapter 385, Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is amended by amending
  Subsections (b), (c), and (d) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  Each fiscal year, the board shall determine the amount
  of the fee or assessment based on the greater of the number of water
  rights held or connections served by the affected entity.  The fee
  or assessment may not exceed five cents per acre-foot.
         (c)  To determine the number of water rights, the board shall
  sum the number of[:
               [(1)  shall, for a] domestic, municipal, [or]
  industrial, and [water right, multiply by two the number of water
  rights certified by the board under Section 3.08 of this Act, or
               [(2)  shall, for] any other water [right, use the
  number of water] rights certified by the board under Section 3.08 of
  this Act.
         (c-1)  To determine the number of connections served, the
  board shall use the number of connections certified by the board
  under Section 3.09 of this Act.
         (d)  An initial fee or assessment imposed under this section
  may not exceed five cents per acre-foot for each water right held or
  connection served by the affected entity.
         SECTION 11.  The following provisions of Chapter 385, Acts
  of the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, are repealed:
               (1)  Section 1A.03;
               (2)  Section 2.02;
               (3)  Section 3.08(c); and
               (4)  Section 4.04(g).
         SECTION 12.  (a)  The terms of the members of the board of
  directors of the Lower Rio Grande Regional Water Authority serving
  on the effective date of this Act expire on the date a majority of
  the members required to be appointed under Subsections (b) and (c)
  of this section qualify to serve.
         (b)  Not later than September 30, 2023, the commissioners
  courts of Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy Counties shall appoint
  members of the board of directors of the Lower Rio Grande Regional
  Water Authority as follows:
               (1)  the commissioners court of Cameron County shall
  appoint directors to terms expiring February 1, 2024;
               (2)  the commissioners court of Willacy County shall
  appoint directors to terms expiring February 1, 2025; and
               (3)  the commissioners court of Hidalgo County shall
  appoint directors to terms expiring February 1, 2026.
         (c)  Not later than September 30, 2023, the governor shall
  appoint the member of the board of directors of the Lower Rio Grande
  Regional Water Authority as provided by Section 2.01(b-3), Chapter
  385, Acts of the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, as added
  by this Act.
         SECTION 13.  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, 2023.
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