Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2362 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R4606 SGM-D
2	2	By: Eckhardt, Blanco, Johnson S.B. No. 2362
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to establishing an advisory board to study surface water
8	8	and groundwater interaction.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "advisory board" means
11	11	the Surface Water and Groundwater Interaction Advisory Board.
12	12	SECTION 2. SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER INTERACTION
13	13	ADVISORY BOARD ESTABLISHED. (a) The Surface Water and Groundwater
14	14	Interaction Advisory Board is established and consists of 12
15	15	persons as follows:
16	16	(1) the executive administrator of the Texas Water
17	17	Development Board;
18	18	(2) one person to represent the interests of the Texas
19	19	Commission on Environmental Quality, recommended by the Texas
20	20	Commission on Environmental Quality and appointed jointly by the
21	21	chairs of the house natural resources committee and the senate
22	22	water and rural affairs committee;
23	23	(3) two persons to represent the interests of river
24	24	authorities, recommended jointly by the Texas Commission on
25	25	Environmental Quality and the Texas Water Development Board and
26	26	appointed jointly by the chairs of the house natural resources
27	27	committee and the senate water and rural affairs committee;
28	28	(4) two persons to represent the interests of
29	29	groundwater conservation districts, recommended jointly by the
30	30	Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Water
31	31	Development Board and appointed jointly by the chairs of the house
32	32	natural resources committee and the senate water and rural affairs
33	33	committee;
34	34	(5) two persons with academic or specialist knowledge
35	35	in the area of surface water and groundwater interaction, with one
36	36	appointed by the chair of the house natural resources committee and
37	37	another appointed by the chair of the senate water and rural affairs
38	38	committee;
39	39	(6) one person to represent environmental interests or
40	40	the interests relating to the interaction of surface water and
41	41	groundwater, recommended jointly by the Texas Commission on
42	42	Environmental Quality and the Texas Water Development Board and
43	43	appointed jointly by the chairs of the house natural resources
44	44	committee and the senate water and rural affairs committee;
45	45	(7) the chair of the house natural resources
46	46	committee;
47	47	(8) the chair of the senate water and rural affairs
48	48	committee; and
49	49	(9) one person from the office of the governor,
50	50	appointed by the governor.
51	51	(b) The executive administrator of the Texas Water
52	52	Development Board serves as the chair of the advisory board.
53	53	SECTION 3. PUBLIC MEETING. The advisory board shall hold at
54	54	least one public meeting in order to accept comments from the public
55	55	on matters studied by the advisory board.
56	56	SECTION 4. SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER INTERACTION STUDY.
57	57	(a) The advisory board shall study:
58	58	(1) the extent to which surface water and groundwater
59	59	interact in this state;
60	60	(2) challenges arising in this state from the
61	61	interaction of surface water and groundwater; and
62	62	(3) approaches to mitigating challenges arising in
63	63	this state from the interaction of surface water and groundwater.
64	64	(b) In conducting the study under this section, the advisory
65	65	board shall consult with:
66	66	(1) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality;
67	67	(2) groundwater conservation districts; and
68	68	(3) river authorities.
69	69	SECTION 5. STUDY REPORT; EXPIRATION OF ACT. (a) The
70	70	advisory board shall deliver to the governor, the lieutenant
71	71	governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and each
72	72	member of the legislature a report on the determinations of the
73	73	advisory board based on the study conducted under Section 4 of this
74	74	Act not later than December 1, 2024. The advisory board shall
75	75	deliver to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of
76	76	the house of representatives, or a member of the legislature
77	77	related information on request.
78	78	(b) The advisory board is abolished and this Act expires
79	79	January 1, 2025.
80	80	SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
81	81	immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
82	82	elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
83	83	Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
84	84	immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023.