| 1 | 1 | | By: Van de Putte, et al. S.B. No. 1002 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | (Menendez) |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to the designation of program costs for providing bill |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | payment assistance to certain military veterans as a necessary |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | operating expense that is a first lien against revenue of certain |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | electric and gas utilities' revenue securing certain public |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | securities or obligations. |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section 1502.056, Government |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | Code, is amended to read as follows: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | (a) If the revenue of a utility system, park, or swimming |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | pool secures the payment of public securities issued or obligations |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | incurred under this chapter, each expense of operation and |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | maintenance, including all salaries, labor, materials, interest, |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | repairs and extensions necessary to provide efficient service, and |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | each proper item of expense, is a first lien against that |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | revenue. For a municipality with a population of more than one |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | million, the first lien against the revenue of a municipally owned |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | electric or gas utility system that secures the payment of public |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | securities issued or obligations incurred under this chapter also |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | applies to funding, as a necessary operations expense, for a bill |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | payment assistance program for utility system customers who: |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | (1) have been threatened with disconnection from |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | service for nonpayment of bills and who have been determined by the |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | municipality to be low-income customers; or |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (2) are military veterans who have significantly |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | decreased abilities to regulate their bodies' core temperatures |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | because of severe burns received in combat. |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |
|---|