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86th Texas Legislature Updates: April 2, 2019

86th Texas Legislature Updates: April 2, 2019

The 86th Legislature House and Senate have been assigning bills to committees, holding public committee hearings, distributing reports on bills, and voting on legislation.

Solar United Neighbors is dedicated to representing the needs and interests of solar owners and supporters. This session, the organization is focused on House Bill 2860, which pertains to on-site distributed generation and energy resources. The bill would prevent municipalities from setting anti-solar rules and stops utilities from charging additional fees on homeowners who want to go solar. For more information and to get involved with Solar United Neighbors of Texas please visit solarunitedneighbors.org/texas/.

TexPIRG is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security, or our right to fully participate in our democratic society. This session, TexPIRG is tracking several bills to help protect the bee population. For more information about TexPIG and the other issues they follow go to
https://texpirg.org/. The following are examples of bills they are following:

  • HB 136: Relating to pollinator health.
  • HB 2484: Relating to the establishment of the Bee Pollinator Goals Task Force to develop and report on statewide pollinator goals.
  • HB 2483: Relating to the prohibition of certain pesticides on public road rights-of-way.

The last day for House committees to report House Bills and House Joint Resolutions is May 6, 2019. The last day for Senate committees to report Senate and Senate Joint Resolutions is May 18, 2019.

We’d love to know what bills you are watching. Send an email to madeline.bell@cechouston.org.

More information about the 86th Texas Legislative session can be found at capitol.texas.gov.

Now that the regular deadline for filing bills in the Texas Legislature has passed, the focus is on committee work. If a committee approves a bill, it is then set back to the legislative chamber for consideration. If approved, it is sent to the opposite chamber. If a bill makes it to a vote and is passed by both the House and Senate, it is sent to the Governor who will either sign it into law, allow it to become law without a signature, or veto it.

Senate

updates on senate committees and bills

  • Transportation- will meet April 3, 2019
  • Natural Resources and Economic Development- will meet on April 4, 2019
  • Water and Rural Affairs- met on April 1, 2019
    • Bills out of Committee
      • SB 942: Relating to the use of money in the state water pollution control revolving fund.
        • Bill was not again placed of Intent Calendar.
      • SB 1010: Relating to rules adopted by groundwater conservation districts overlying a common aquifer.
      • SB 1041: Relating to the deadline by which the Texas Water Development Board is required to identify and designate brackish groundwater production zones for certain areas of the state.

House of Representatives

Bills Received from senate and Assigned to House Committees

  • Environmental Regulation
    • SB 698: Relating to the expedited processing of certain applications for permits under the Texas Clean Air Act.

Updates on House committees and Bills

  • Culture, Recreation, and Tourism- met on April 2, 2019
  • Energy Resources- met on April 2, 2019
    • Bills out of Committee
      • HB 2942: Relating to the adoption and enforcement of reclamation standards for certain sand mining operations; authorizing a fee.
        • Reported favorably as substituted.
      • HB 3246: Relating to treating and recycling for beneficial use certain liquid or semi-liquid waste arising out of or incidental to drilling for or producing oil or gas.
  • Environmental Regulation- met on March 26, 2019
    • Bills out of Committee
      • HB 1514: Relating to the Texas Olive Oil Industry Advisory Board
      • HB 1953: Relating to relating to reducing the volume of wastes disposed of in landfills by promoting the beneficial conversion of plastics and other recoverable materials using pyrolysis and gasification processes.
        • Reported favorably as substituted.
      • HB 2203: Relating to notice of a radioactive substance release.
        • Reported favorably as substituted.
  • Higher Education- will meet on April 3, 2019
  • Homeland Security and Public Safety- will meet April 3 and April 5
  • Natural Resource- met on April 2, 2019
    • Bills out of Committee
      • HB 26: Relating to the creation of an alert system to notify affected persons of certain releases of water from certain dams.
        • Reported favorably as substituted.
      • HB 723: Relating to a requirement that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality obtain or develop updated water availability models for certain river basins.
        • Reported favorably as substitued.
      • HB 726: Relating to the regulation of groundwater.
        • Reported favorably as substituted.
      • HB 807: Relating to the state and regional water planning process.
      • HJR 11: Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas.
        • Reported favorably without amendments.

More information about the 86th Texas Legislative session can be found at capitol.texas.gov.