| 1 | 1 | | By: RodrÃguez S.B. No. 568 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed January 20, 2017; February 8, 2017, |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | read first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources & |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | Economic Development; April 27, 2017, reported adversely, with |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 6, |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | Nays 2, 2 present not voting; April 27, 2017, sent to printer.) |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Click here to see the committee vote |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 568 By: RodrÃguez |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | relating to the posting by the Railroad Commission of Texas on its |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | Internet website of certain enforcement information. |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 81, Natural Resources |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 81.071 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | Sec. 81.071. ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION. (a) The commission |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | shall post on the commission's Internet website: |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (1) comprehensive information regarding the |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | commission's enforcement of this title and rules, orders, licenses, |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | permits, and certificates issued under this title, including |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | information regarding: |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (A) inspection and enforcement activity; |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (B) violations; and |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (C) the amount of penalties finally assessed; |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | (2) information evidencing quarterly trends regarding |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | enforcement activity by the commission, including: |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (A) the number of inspections conducted; |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (B) the number of violations, categorized |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | according to the degree of severity of the violation and the |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | statute, rule, order, license, permit, or certificate violated, for |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | which enforcement action has been taken; |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (C) the number of repeat violations determined to |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | have been committed; and |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | (D) the number of violations referred to the |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | attorney general for enforcement; and |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (3) an analysis of annual trends regarding enforcement |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | activity by the commission. |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | (b) Information required to be posted under this section |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | must be: |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | (1) in a searchable format; |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | (2) organized by county, by operator or other entity, |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | and by well, if applicable; and |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | (3) capable of being downloaded in bulk. |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 2. The Railroad Commission of Texas shall comply |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | with Section 81.071(b), Natural Resources Code, as added by this |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | Act, not later than January 1, 2019. |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. The Railroad Commission of Texas shall implement |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | Section 81.071, Natural Resources Code, as added by this Act, using |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | only money that is appropriated to the commission by the General |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | Appropriations Act for the state fiscal biennium beginning |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | September 1, 2017, for public information and services and that is |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | available to be spent for the publication on the commission's |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | Internet website of information about the commission's inspection |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | and enforcement activities. If the commission determines that it |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | is not required to implement that statute because the legislature |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | has not appropriated money available for that purpose, the |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | commission shall notify the Legislative Budget Board of that |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | determination. |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | * * * * * |
|---|