Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB606 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	S.B. No. 606
	1	+	By: Watson, et al. S.B. No. 606
	2	+	(Nevárez)
2	3
3	4
	5	+	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
4	6		AN ACT
5	7		relating to the Lower Colorado River Authority, following
6	8		recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission.
7	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	10		SECTION 1. Section 8503.0021(a), Special District Local
9	11		Laws Code, is amended to read as follows:
10	12		(a) The authority is subject to review under Chapter 325,
11	13		Government Code (Texas Sunset Act), but may not be abolished under
12	14		that chapter. The review shall not include the management of the
13	15		generation or transmission of electricity under the wholesale
14	16		electricity operation of the authority and the authority's
15	17		affiliated nonprofit corporations. The review shall be conducted
16	18		under Section 325.025, Government Code, as if the authority were a
17	19		state agency scheduled to be abolished September 1, 2031 [2019],
18	20		and every 12th year after that year.
19	21		SECTION 2. Chapter 8503, Special District Local Laws Code,
20	22		is amended by adding Sections 8503.0065, 8503.0105, 8503.0106,
21	23		8503.0107, and 8503.0108 to read as follows:
22	24		Sec. 8503.0065. DIRECTOR TRAINING. (a) A person who is
23	25		appointed to and qualifies for office as a director may not vote,
24	26		deliberate, or be counted as a director in attendance at a board
25	27		meeting until the person completes a training program that complies
26	28		with this section.
27	29		(b) The training program must provide the person with
28	30		information regarding:
29	31		(1) the law governing authority operations;
30	32		(2) the programs, functions, rules, and budget of the
31	33		authority;
32	34		(3) the results of the most recent formal audit of the
33	35		authority;
34	36		(4) the requirements of:
35	37		(A) laws relating to open meetings, public
36	38		information, administrative procedure, and disclosure of conflicts
37	39		of interest; and
38	40		(B) other laws applicable to members of the
39	41		governing body of a river authority in performing their duties; and
40	42		(5) any applicable ethics policies adopted by the
41	43		authority or the Texas Ethics Commission.
42	44		(c) A person appointed to the board is entitled to
43	45		reimbursement for the travel expenses incurred in attending the
44	46		training program regardless of whether the attendance at the
45	47		program occurs before or after the person qualifies for office.
46	48		(d) The general manager of the authority shall create a
47	49		training manual that includes the information required by
48	50		Subsection (b). The general manager shall distribute a copy of the
49	51		training manual annually to each director. Each director shall
50	52		sign and submit to the general manager a statement acknowledging
51	53		that the director has received and reviewed the training manual.
52	54		Sec. 8503.0105. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT POLICY. The board shall
53	55		develop and implement a policy that provides a structure for public
54	56		engagement in regard to water supply projects. The policy must
55	57		include a clear and detailed description of how the authority will
56	58		seek to actively engage stakeholders, including the possible use
57	59		of:
58	60		(1) advisory committees;
59	61		(2) community panels;
60	62		(3) town hall meetings; and
61	63		(4) other strategies on a recurring basis.
62	64		Sec. 8503.0106. COMPLAINTS. (a) The authority shall
63	65		maintain a system to promptly and efficiently act on complaints
64	66		filed with the authority. The authority shall maintain information
65	67		about parties to the complaint, the subject matter of the
66	68		complaint, a summary of the results of the review or investigation
67	69		of the complaint, and its disposition.
68	70		(b) The authority shall make information available to the
69	71		public, including on the authority's website, describing its
70	72		procedures for complaint investigation and resolution.
71	73		(c) The authority shall periodically notify the complaint
72	74		parties of the status of the complaint until final disposition.
73	75		(d) The authority shall develop a standard form and a
74	76		procedure for submitting complaints to the authority and shall make
75	77		that form and procedure available on the authority's website. The
76	78		authority shall also make available on its website clear
77	79		information about what a person making a complaint should expect
78	80		after the complaint is filed, including timelines for response and
79	81		resolution.
80	82		Sec. 8503.0107. PUBLIC TESTIMONY. (a) In this section,
81	83		"committee-of-the-whole" means a committee of the board in which
82	84		every director is a member of the committee, regardless of whether
83	85		all members are present at a particular meeting of the
84	86		committee-of-the-whole.
85	87		(b) The board shall develop and implement policies that
86	88		provide the public with a reasonable opportunity to appear before
87	89		the board and to speak on any issue under the jurisdiction of the
88	90		authority.
89	91		(c) At each regular meeting of the board and each meeting as
90	92		a committee-of-the-whole, the board shall include public testimony
91	93		as a meeting agenda item and allow members of the public to comment
92	94		on every agenda item and other matters under the jurisdiction of the
93	95		authority. The board may not deliberate or decide a matter not
94	96		included in the meeting agenda except to discuss including the
95	97		matter on the agenda for a subsequent meeting.
96	98		Sec. 8503.0108. ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURES.
97	99		(a) The board shall develop a policy to encourage the use of
98	100		appropriate alternative dispute resolution procedures under
99	101		Chapter 2009, Government Code, to assist in the resolution of
100	102		internal and external disputes under the authority's jurisdiction.
101	103		(b) The authority's procedures relating to alternative
102	104		dispute resolution must conform, to the extent possible, to any
103	105		model guidelines issued by the State Office of Administrative
104	106		Hearings for the use of alternative dispute resolution by state
105	107		agencies.
106	108		(c) The authority shall:
107	109		(1) coordinate the implementation of the policy
108	110		adopted under Subsection (a);
109	111		(2) provide training as needed to implement the
110	112		procedures for alternative dispute resolution; and
111	113		(3) collect data concerning the effectiveness of those
112	114		procedures.
113	115		SECTION 3. Notwithstanding Section 8503.0065, Special
114	116		District Local Laws Code, as added by this Act, a person serving on
115	117		the board of directors of the Lower Colorado River Authority may
116	118		vote, deliberate, and be counted as a director in attendance at a
117	119		meeting of the board until December 1, 2019.
118	120		SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
119		-	______________________________ ______________________________
120		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
121		-	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 606 passed the Senate on
122		-	April 15, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
123		-	______________________________
124		-	Secretary of the Senate
125		-	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 606 passed the House on
126		-	April 26, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 137, Nays 0, two
127		-	present not voting.
128		-	______________________________
129		-	Chief Clerk of the House
130		-	Approved:
131		-	______________________________
132		-	Date
133		-	______________________________
134		-	Governor