BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3881 By: Bell, Keith Natural Resources Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to a news report by NBCDFW published in 2022, Kaufman County, Texas, is growing faster than any other county in the nation. Supporting this population growth are over a dozen special purpose districts, including rural area water districts. Current law does not prohibit a rural area water district from holding their board meetings and tax rate hearings outside of their jurisdictional boundaries. The author of the measure contends that a number of these districts are holding meetings as far as 30 to 45 miles away from the district, making it inconvenient for the public to access and participate in their local government process. C.S.H.B. 3881 seeks to provide greater transparency to rural area water district residents in Kaufman County by making the proceedings of these meetings more accessible. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3881 amends the Water Code to include a district wholly or partly located in a county with a population of more than 144,000 and less than 148,000 in the definition of "rural area district" for the purposes of a requirement for an applicable water district board, if the board meets at least quarterly, to conduct a meeting at least once per quarter at a designated meeting location inside the district, within 10 miles of the boundary of the district, or in the county in which the district is located, as applicable. The bill authorizes a rural area district to satisfy the quarterly board meeting requirements by conducting those meetings by telephone conference call or videoconference call but requires a meeting to discuss the tax rate of the district to be conducted in person. The bill updates the definition of "rural area district" to reflect population criteria based on the 2020 Census. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2023. COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 3881 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute includes provisions that were not in the introduced providing for a rural area district to conduct quarterly meetings by telephone, conference call, or videoconference call. The substitute includes a revision, which was not present in the introduced, of the population criteria for the definition of "rural area district" by updating the criteria to be based on the 2020 Census.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3881
By: Bell, Keith
Natural Resources
Committee Report (Substituted)
C.S.H.B. 3881
By: Bell, Keith
Natural Resources
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to a news report by NBCDFW published in 2022, Kaufman County, Texas, is growing faster than any other county in the nation. Supporting this population growth are over a dozen special purpose districts, including rural area water districts. Current law does not prohibit a rural area water district from holding their board meetings and tax rate hearings outside of their jurisdictional boundaries. The author of the measure contends that a number of these districts are holding meetings as far as 30 to 45 miles away from the district, making it inconvenient for the public to access and participate in their local government process. C.S.H.B. 3881 seeks to provide greater transparency to rural area water district residents in Kaufman County by making the proceedings of these meetings more accessible.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3881 amends the Water Code to include a district wholly or partly located in a county with a population of more than 144,000 and less than 148,000 in the definition of "rural area district" for the purposes of a requirement for an applicable water district board, if the board meets at least quarterly, to conduct a meeting at least once per quarter at a designated meeting location inside the district, within 10 miles of the boundary of the district, or in the county in which the district is located, as applicable. The bill authorizes a rural area district to satisfy the quarterly board meeting requirements by conducting those meetings by telephone conference call or videoconference call but requires a meeting to discuss the tax rate of the district to be conducted in person. The bill updates the definition of "rural area district" to reflect population criteria based on the 2020 Census.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2023.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 3881 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute includes provisions that were not in the introduced providing for a rural area district to conduct quarterly meetings by telephone, conference call, or videoconference call. The substitute includes a revision, which was not present in the introduced, of the population criteria for the definition of "rural area district" by updating the criteria to be based on the 2020 Census.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
According to a news report by NBCDFW published in 2022, Kaufman County, Texas, is growing faster than any other county in the nation. Supporting this population growth are over a dozen special purpose districts, including rural area water districts. Current law does not prohibit a rural area water district from holding their board meetings and tax rate hearings outside of their jurisdictional boundaries. The author of the measure contends that a number of these districts are holding meetings as far as 30 to 45 miles away from the district, making it inconvenient for the public to access and participate in their local government process. C.S.H.B. 3881 seeks to provide greater transparency to rural area water district residents in Kaufman County by making the proceedings of these meetings more accessible.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3881 amends the Water Code to include a district wholly or partly located in a county with a population of more than 144,000 and less than 148,000 in the definition of "rural area district" for the purposes of a requirement for an applicable water district board, if the board meets at least quarterly, to conduct a meeting at least once per quarter at a designated meeting location inside the district, within 10 miles of the boundary of the district, or in the county in which the district is located, as applicable. The bill authorizes a rural area district to satisfy the quarterly board meeting requirements by conducting those meetings by telephone conference call or videoconference call but requires a meeting to discuss the tax rate of the district to be conducted in person. The bill updates the definition of "rural area district" to reflect population criteria based on the 2020 Census.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2023.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 3881 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
The substitute includes provisions that were not in the introduced providing for a rural area district to conduct quarterly meetings by telephone, conference call, or videoconference call.
The substitute includes a revision, which was not present in the introduced, of the population criteria for the definition of "rural area district" by updating the criteria to be based on the 2020 Census.