84R5644 SLB-D
By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 636
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of a task force to evaluate recreational
use of rivers.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. RECREATIONAL RIVER USE TASK FORCE. (a) In this
Act, "task force" means the Recreational River Use Task Force
established under this section.
(b) The Recreational River Use Task Force is established for
the purposes of:
(1) assessing the effects of recreational use of
rivers on:
(A) state and local economies;
(B) environmental health; and
(C) water quality; and
(2) evaluating:
(A) the safety of recreational users of rivers;
(B) the quality of the recreational experience of
river users; and
(C) the public policy implications of increased
recreational use of rivers.
(c) The task force shall focus its efforts on areas of heavy
recreational use of rivers.
(d) The task force is composed of the following 11 members:
(1) one representative of the Economic Development and
Tourism Division of the governor's office, appointed by the
governor;
(2) one representative of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission's Education and Prevention Division, appointed by the
governor;
(3) one representative of a river authority, appointed
by the lieutenant governor;
(4) one representative of an entity that is
distinguished by its efforts in water resource protection,
appointed by the lieutenant governor;
(5) one elected official of a county in which
recreational use of a river is high, appointed by the lieutenant
governor;
(6) one representative of a river recreation business,
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(7) one owner of residential riverfront property,
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(8) one elected official of a municipality in which
recreational use of a river is high, appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives;
(9) the presiding officer of the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, or the officer's designee;
(10) the presiding officer of the Parks and Wildlife
Commission, or the officer's designee; and
(11) the director of the Texas State University
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.
(e) The members of the task force shall elect a presiding
officer.
(f) The Parks and Wildlife Department shall provide staff
support to the task force.
(g) The task force shall appoint a scientific advisory
committee to serve as impartial scientific advisors for the task
force. The director of the Texas State University Meadows Center
for Water and the Environment shall serve as the presiding officer
of the scientific advisory committee.
(h) The task force shall hold public hearings to achieve the
purposes described by Subsection (b).
(i) A member of the task force or the scientific advisory
committee is not entitled to receive compensation for service on
the task force or committee but is entitled to reimbursement of the
travel expenses incurred by the member while conducting the
business of the task force or committee.
(j) The task force may accept gifts and grants from any
source to be used to carry out a function of the task force or the
scientific advisory committee.
SECTION 2. FINAL REPORT. Not later than November 1, 2016,
the task force shall submit a final report to the governor, the
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
the authors and sponsors of the Act creating the task force, and the
members of the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate
Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development. The report
shall include a summary and analysis of:
(1) hearings and studies conducted by the task force;
(2) legislation proposed by the task force; and
(3) other findings and recommendations made by the
task force.
SECTION 3. APPOINTMENTS. Not later than December 1, 2015,
the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house
of representatives shall make the appointments to the task force as
described by Section 1(d) of this Act.
SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. The task force is abolished and this
Act expires August 31, 2017.
SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 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, 2015.