86th Texas Legislature Updates: April 23, 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. Activities are described below.
Bayou Land Conservancy is a conservation group that works to permanently protect wetlands and other ecologically valuable habitat through partnerships with willing landowners. This session, they have closely been following Senate Bill 2126. This bill is in relation to taking sand, gravel, marl, shell, and mud-shell for Texas rivers. The Conservancy is concerned that this bill would allow in-stream mining without permit or payment of royalty and that no additional over site or safeguard language is included. This would be of particular concern in the San Jacinto River watershed and in most of the bayou systems in and around Houston. For more information on Bayou Land Conservancy go to bayoulandconservancy.org.
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 tomadeline.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
Bills received and assigned to senate committee
- Natural Resources and Economic Development
- Water and Rural Affairs
Updates on senate committee and Bills
- Agriculture- met April 15, 2019
- SB 1672: Relating to the detection and mitigation of plant pests and diseases.
- Finance- will meet April 24, 2019
- Bills out of Committee
- SB 1205: Relating to an appropriation of money from the general revenue fund to the State Soil and Water Conservation Board for the purpose of eradicating Carrizo cane, contingent on the receipt of federal funds for the same purpose.
- Bills out of Committee
- Health and Human Services- met April 23, 2019
- Bills out of Committee
- SB 1805: Relating to egg grading.
- Bills out of Committee
- Natural Resources and Economic Development- will meet April 24, 2019
- Scheduled for a public hearing
- SB 950: Relating to the definition of a commercial hazardous waste management facility.
- HB 1953: Relating to the conversion of plastics and other recoverable materials through pyrolysis or gasification.
- HB 3246:Relating to the treatment and recycling for beneficial use of certain waste arising out of or incidental to the drilling for or production of oil or gas.
- Bills out of Committee
- SB 649: Relating to promotion of the use of recyclable materials as feedstock for processing and manufacturing.
- SB 1585: Relating to the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to issue permits for the discharge into water in this state of produced water, hydrostatic test water, and gas plant effluent resulting from certain oil and gas activities.
- SB 2070: Relating to a prohibition of the land application of grease or grit trap waste.
- SB 2354: Relating to judicial review of acts by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
- Scheduled for a public hearing
- Water and Rural Affairs- will meet April 24,2019
- Scheduled for a public hearing
- SB 2394: Relating to reporting requirements for certain accidental discharges or spills.
- Scheduled for a public hearing
House of Representatives
updates on house committee bills
- Agriculture and Livestock- met April 17, 2019
- Bills out of Committee
- HB 191: Relating to the disposal of pesticides.
- Voted on and passed by the House
- Bills out of Committee
- Culture, Recreation, and Tourism- met April 23, 2019
- Bills out of Committee
- HB 4595: Relating to a study and report on the optimum water level of Falcon Lake.
- Bills out of Committee
- Environmental Regulation- will meet April 24, 2019
- Scheduled for a public hearing
- HB 1391: Relating to inspections of solid waste facilities conducted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
- Bills out of Committee
- HB 2771: Relating to the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to issue permits for the discharge into water in this state of produced water, hydrostatic test water, and gas plant effluent resulting from certain oil and gas activities.
- HB 3249: Relating to the use of Texas emissions reduction plan funds for a study conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
- HB 3291: Relating to the eligibility for grants for alternative fueling facilities.
- HB 3802: Relating to the creation of a zero-emissions vehicle program.
- Scheduled for a public hearing
- Natural Resources- met April 23, 2019
- Bills out of Committee
- HB 722: Relating to the development of brackish groundwater.
- SB 669: Relating to the date for the confirmation election for the Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District.
- SB 942: Relating to the use of money in the state water pollution control revolving fund.
- SB 1014: 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.
- HB 1331: Relating to the application fee for a permit for a municipal solid waste facility; imposing a fee.
- HB 1435: Relating to the inspection of a municipal solid waste management facility or site by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality before a permit application is issued, amended, extended, or renewed.
- HB 1627: Relating to the removal of certain counties from the Texas emissions reduction plan.
- Bills out of Committee
- Public Education- met April 23, 2019
- Bills out of Committee
- HB 997: Relating to testing for lead contamination in public school drinking water.
- Bills out of Committee
More information about the 86th Texas Legislative session can be found at capitol.texas.gov.