Bill: HB 2179, 84(R) - 2015

Committee

Senate Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs

Vote Recommendation

Vote Recommendation Economic Freedom Property Rights Personal Responsibility Limited Government Individual Liberty
Neutral Neutral Neutral Neutral Neutral Neutral

Author(s)

Eddie Lucio III

Bill Caption

Relating to hearings that concern the issuance of permits by a groundwater conservation district.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

HB 2179, if passed, would modify the Water Code (Section 36) regarding permitting and registration procedures regarding groundwater conservation districts. The changes introduced are mostly procedural, the most notable being the requirement that resolutions be made more clear by requiring that groundwater conservation districts hold a hearing regarding the application for a permit. A major new addition to code would be a section regarding contested case hearing procedure (Section 36.4051). Other, more minor changes, include those to decision making procedure, and subdivision requirements. 

Vote Recommendation Notes

Currently there is no language in this section of the Water Code dealing with contested case hearings, and hearings regarding the permitting process (Section 36.403) are not public. HB 2179 would add new language to change this. On the one hand, it could be argued that the procedural changes make the process more transparent. On the other hand, these new sections of code could be seen as making the process unnecessarily bureaucratic. The changes themselves are benign enough but the end result would be difficult to ascertain. As such, ultimately, we are neutral on HB 2179.

The second chamber sponsor is Senator Perry.

Organizations Supporting

ConocoPhillips
Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District
Lower Colorado River Authority
Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District
Texas Association of Business
Texas Farm Bureau
Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association
Texas Water Conservation Association

Source URL (retrieved on 03/28/2024 01:03 PM): http://reports.texasaction.com/bill/84r/hb2179?print_view=true