| 1 | 1 | | 85R8596 DMS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Rodriguez of Bexar, Cortez, Minjarez H.B. No. 1633 |
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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 bill payment assistance programs offered by certain |
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| 8 | 8 | | municipalities. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 1502.056(a), Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) If the revenue of a utility system, park, or swimming |
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| 13 | 13 | | pool secures the payment of public securities issued or obligations |
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| 14 | 14 | | incurred under this chapter, each expense of operation and |
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| 15 | 15 | | maintenance, including all salaries, labor, materials, interest, |
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| 16 | 16 | | repairs and extensions necessary to provide efficient service, and |
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| 17 | 17 | | each proper item of expense, is a first lien against that |
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| 18 | 18 | | revenue. For a municipality with a population of more than one |
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| 19 | 19 | | million but less than two million, the first lien against the |
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| 20 | 20 | | revenue of a municipally owned utility system that secures the |
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| 21 | 21 | | payment of public securities issued or obligations incurred under |
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| 22 | 22 | | this chapter also applies to funding, as a necessary operations |
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| 23 | 23 | | expense, for a bill payment assistance program for utility system |
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| 24 | 24 | | customers who: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (1) [have been threatened with disconnection from |
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| 26 | 26 | | service for nonpayment of bills and who] have been determined by the |
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| 27 | 27 | | municipality to be low-income customers; or |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) are military veterans who have significantly |
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| 29 | 29 | | decreased abilities to regulate their bodies' core temperatures |
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| 30 | 30 | | because of severe burns received in combat. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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