88R8902 KBB-D By: Orr H.B. No. 4820 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the eligibility requirements for grants under programs of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 5.124(f), Water Code, is amended to read as follows: (f) A grant may be made by direct award only if: (1) the executive director determines that: (A) selection of recipients by the solicitation of proposals or applications is not feasible; and (B) awarding the grant directly is in the best interest of the state; (2) eligibility for the grant is limited to: (A) an agency or political subdivision of this state or of another state; (B) a state institution of higher learning of this state or of another state, including any part or service of the institution; [or] (C) an agency of the United States; or (D) a nonprofit organization that conducts research and field work for the same purposes as those of the grant; or (3) the grant is awarded to a person established or authorized to develop or implement a comprehensive conservation and management plan under Section 320, Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. Section 1330), for a national estuary in this state. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.