By: McClendon H.B. No. 1516
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to solid waste services for rental property and solid
waste management programs in certain counties; providing a civil
penalty.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 364.011, Health and Safety Code, is
amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
(a-1) A commissioners court by rule may regulate solid waste
collection, handling, storage, and disposal by establishing a
mandatory program under Section 364.034 in an area of the county
located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality
if:
(1) the municipality does not provide solid waste
disposal services in that area; and
(2) the county has a population of more than 1.5
million in which at least 75 percent of the population resides in a
single municipality.
SECTION 2. Section 364.034(a), Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(a) A public agency or a county may:
(1) offer solid waste disposal service to persons in
its territory, including, in the case of a county described by
Section 364.011(a-1)(2), an area of the county located within the
extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality if the
municipality does not provide solid waste disposal services in that
area;
(2) require the use of the service by those persons;
(3) charge fees for the service; and
(4) establish the service as a utility separate from
other utilities in its territory.
SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 791, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 791.036 to read as follows:
Sec. 791.036. SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SERVICES IN CERTAIN
COUNTIES. (a) In this section, "solid waste" has the meaning
assigned by Section 361.003, Health and Safety Code.
(b) This section applies only to a county with a population
of more than 1.5 million in which more than 75 percent of the
population resides in a single municipality.
(c) A county may contract with a municipality to provide,
directly or through a contract with another entity, a mandatory
program for solid waste disposal services in an area of the county
located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the
municipality if the municipality does not provide solid waste
disposal services in that area.
(d) A mandatory solid waste disposal program provided under
a contract under this section does not apply to a private entity
that contracts to provide temporary solid waste disposal services
to a construction project.
SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 92, Property Code, is
amended by adding Section 92.0071 to read as follows:
Sec. 92.0071. SOLID WASTE SERVICES REQUIRED IN
UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) In this section,
"garbage" and "rubbish" have the meanings assigned by Section
361.003, Health and Safety Code.
(b) This section applies only to a county with a population
of more than 1.5 million in which at least 75 percent of the
population resides in a single municipality.
(c) A landlord of two or more leased dwellings located in
the unincorporated area of a county must:
(1) notify the county that the landlord has two or more
leased dwellings located in the unincorporated area of a county and
provide the addresses of the dwellings and the landlord to the
county; and
(2) provide solid waste services for the collection,
transportation, and disposal of garbage and rubbish from each
dwelling.
(d) On request by the county, the landlord must provide the
county with documentation showing that solid waste services for
each dwelling are being provided.
(e) A provision of a lease that purports to waive a right or
to exempt a party from a liability or duty under this section is
void.
(f) The commissioners court of a county may adopt orders to
enforce this section, which may include establishing a civil or
administrative fine.
SECTION 5. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
this section, this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a
vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
(b) Section 92.0071, Property Code, as added by this Act,
takes effect January 1, 2014.