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Relating to the provision of water and sewer services by certain retail public utilities.
No fiscal impact to the state is anticipated.
HB 3542 provides a framework for a Class A or Class B utility that is purchasing a smaller retail public utility to determine the fair market value of the selling utility or the facilities to be sold. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) would be required to maintain a list of experts qualified to conduct economic valuations for these purposes.
This bill would also require certain utilities to deliver to the PUC a report of the utility's financial, managerial, and technical capacity to provide continuous and adequate service to its customers no later than the third anniversary of the date that the utility violates a final order by failing to: (1) provide system capacity that is greater than the required raw water or groundwater production rate or the anticipated daily demand of the system; (2) provide a minimum pressure of 35 pounds per square inch throughout the distribution system under normal operating conditions; or (3) maintain accurate or properly calibrated testing equipment or other means of monitoring the effectiveness of a chemical treatment or pathogen inactivation or removal process.
Texas Action is neutral on HB 3542 because it does not affect our liberty principles.
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