| 1 | 1 | | 85R14866 GRM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bell H.B. No. 4274 |
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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 Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District's |
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| 8 | 8 | | groundwater reduction plan. |
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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. Chapter 1321, Acts of the 77th Legislature, |
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| 11 | 11 | | Regular Session, 2001, is amended by adding Section 13A to read as |
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| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 13A. GROUNDWATER REDUCTION PLAN. (a) If the district |
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| 14 | 14 | | implements a groundwater reduction plan to reduce use of |
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| 15 | 15 | | groundwater throughout the district, the plan shall require that an |
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| 16 | 16 | | entity that participates in the plan follow the accounting |
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| 17 | 17 | | practices described in this section. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) If transferable credits are used to comply with the |
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| 19 | 19 | | groundwater reduction plan, the entity administering the |
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| 20 | 20 | | transferable credits: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) must: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) provide a credit for a user that produces a |
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| 23 | 23 | | volume of groundwater below the minimum production volume |
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| 24 | 24 | | established under the groundwater reduction plan; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (B) calculate the credit required by Paragraph |
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| 26 | 26 | | (A) based on the volume of groundwater that falls below the minimum |
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| 27 | 27 | | production volume; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (C) apply the credit calculated under Paragraph |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) to the account of the user; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) may not assess usage charges or fees in excess of |
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| 31 | 31 | | the minimum usage fee before the credit described by Subdivision |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) is exhausted. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (c) A credit required by Subsection (b) may not expire. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 35 | 35 | | a charge or fee assessed under a groundwater reduction plan on or |
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| 36 | 36 | | after the effective date of this Act. A fee or charge assessed |
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| 37 | 37 | | under a groundwater reduction plan before the effective date of |
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| 38 | 38 | | this Act is governed by the law in effect when the charge or fee was |
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| 39 | 39 | | assessed, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
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| 40 | 40 | | purpose. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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