| 1 | 1 | | 86R12640 JAM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Nevárez H.B. No. 2098 |
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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 a study by the Texas Water Development Board and the |
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| 8 | 8 | | Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding the effects of |
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| 9 | 9 | | the construction of a border wall on water quality in this state. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (1) "Board" means the Texas Water Development Board. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (2) "Border wall" means a wall, fence, or other |
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| 14 | 14 | | barrier on the border between the United States and Mexico. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (3) "Commission" means the Texas Commission on |
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| 16 | 16 | | Environmental Quality. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The board and the commission jointly shall conduct a |
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| 18 | 18 | | study concerning the effects the construction of a border wall |
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| 19 | 19 | | would have on water quality in this state. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (c) The study must investigate: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) whether and to what extent the construction of a |
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| 22 | 22 | | border wall would cause or contribute to drainage problems for |
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| 23 | 23 | | watersheds in this state; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) whether and to what extent the construction of a |
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| 25 | 25 | | border wall would cause or contribute to contamination of |
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| 26 | 26 | | groundwater or surface water in this state or other negative |
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| 27 | 27 | | effects on water quality in this state; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) whether certain designs or methods of construction |
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| 29 | 29 | | of a border wall would prevent or mitigate any negative effects |
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| 30 | 30 | | identified under Subdivisions (1) or (2) of this subsection. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (d) Not later than March 1, 2020, the board and the |
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| 32 | 32 | | commission shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, |
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| 33 | 33 | | and each standing committee of the legislature having primary |
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| 34 | 34 | | jurisdiction over water development and environmental matters a |
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| 35 | 35 | | report of the findings of the study conducted under this section. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (e) This section expires January 1, 2021. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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