| 2 | | - | (In the Senate - Filed March 4, 2021; March 18, 2021, read |
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| 3 | | - | first time and referred to Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural |
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| 4 | | - | Affairs; April 26, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote: |
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| 5 | | - | Yeas 8, Nays 0; April 26, 2021, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 7 | 3 | | |
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| 8 | 4 | | |
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| 9 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 10 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 7 | | relating to the appeal of rates charged for water or sewer service |
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| 12 | 8 | | by certain retail public utilities. |
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| 13 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 13.043(j), Water Code, is amended to |
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| 15 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 16 | 12 | | (j) In an appeal under this section, the utility commission |
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| 17 | 13 | | shall ensure that every appealed rate is [made, demanded, or |
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| 18 | 14 | | received by any retail public utility or by any two or more retail |
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| 19 | 15 | | public utilities jointly shall be] just and reasonable. Rates |
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| 20 | 16 | | shall not be unreasonably preferential, prejudicial, or |
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| 21 | 17 | | discriminatory but shall be sufficient, equitable, and consistent |
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| 22 | 18 | | in application to each class of customers. The utility commission |
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| 23 | 19 | | shall use a methodology that preserves the financial integrity of |
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| 24 | 20 | | the retail public utility. For agreements between municipalities |
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| 25 | 21 | | the utility commission shall consider the terms of any wholesale |
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| 26 | 22 | | water or sewer service agreement in an appellate rate proceeding. |
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| 27 | 23 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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