83rd Texas Legislature Regular Session update, May 7, 2013

CEC is sharing information during the session about what bills our member groups and readers are tracking. More information is available at cechouston.org/category/texas-legislature/.

House Bills must be debated on the floor by May 9, 2013, in order to be considered; otherwise they must be added as amendments to other bills. The last day of the regular session is Monday, May 27, 2013.  Learn more at www.legis.state.tx.us.

Already, over 2,500 bills have been passed by the legislature, although many are tributes of various types. For a complete list, visit http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Reports/Report.aspx?LegSess=83R&ID=passed. The following may be of interest:

• HB 200: Relating to liability of certain electric utilities that allow certain uses of land that the electric utility owns, occupies, or leases.
• HCR 31: Designating the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle as the official State Sea Turtle of Texas.
• SB 174: Relating to the control of stray bison and other estrays.
• SB 276: Relating to the authority of certain transportation authorities to create a local government corporation.
• SB 595: Relating to the power of the North Fort Bend Water Authority to impose a charge on certain wells or classes of wells.
• SB 655: Relating to the exercise of the power of eminent domain by certain authorized entities.
• SB 902: Relating to the operation, powers, and duties of certain water districts.

Scenic Texas calls our attention to HB 2244 and SB 1383, which override local control to give billboard companies special treatment. In recent decades many Texas cities have made huge strides towards improving their environments by limiting the number and location of billboards.  Now, two bills in the state legislature, SB 1383 by Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) and HB 2244 by Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving) are companion bills that would tell cities to give preferential treatment to billion-dollar billboard companies over every other property owner.  Learn more on Scenic America’s website.

Other websites with updates on environmental legislation:

• ACT Texas Clean Air: www.acttexas.org.
• Texas Bottle Bill  www.texasbottlebill.com.
• H-GAC’s Natural Resources Advisory Council: Justin Bower, senior environmental planner, is providing briefings on proposed legislation related to air, water, land use, governance of natural resources, parks and natural areas, and energy issues. The briefings are updated on a weekly basis. Please note, these documents are intended as a summary of legislation and potential impacts, and are not intended to imply a stance or position on any bill. For all questions, contact Justin Bower at 713-499-6653. Briefing Document for All Natural Resources Legislation. (By category: Air Pollution and Climate, Energy, Governance, Land Use, Miscellaneous, Parks and Natural Areas,  Solid Waste, Water and Sewer Utilities, Water Conservation, Water Quality, Water Supply, Wildlife Management.)
• Public Citizen Texas VOX: http://texasvox.org/82nd-legislative-session/