| 1 | 1 | | 84R11017 TSR-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Oliveira, Lucio III H.B. No. 2538 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the designation of certain customer bill payment |
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| 8 | 8 | | assistance program costs as an expense of operation that is a first |
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| 9 | 9 | | lien against revenue securing certain public securities or |
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| 10 | 10 | | obligations in certain municipalities. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 1502.056, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a-1) For a municipality in a county that contains an |
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| 15 | 15 | | international border and borders the Gulf of Mexico, the first lien |
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| 16 | 16 | | against the revenue of a municipally owned utility system that |
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| 17 | 17 | | secures the payment of public securities issued or obligations |
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| 18 | 18 | | incurred under this chapter also applies to funding, as a necessary |
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| 19 | 19 | | operations expense, for a bill payment assistance program for the |
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| 20 | 20 | | utility system's customers who: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) have received a notice of disconnection from |
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| 22 | 22 | | service for nonpayment of bills and who have been determined by the |
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| 23 | 23 | | municipality to be low-income customers; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) are military veterans who have significantly |
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| 25 | 25 | | decreased abilities to regulate their bodies' core temperatures |
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| 26 | 26 | | because of severe burns received in combat; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (3) are elderly and low-income customers as determined |
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| 28 | 28 | | by the municipality. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 30 | 30 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 31 | 31 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 32 | 32 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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