Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2326 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R3660 ANG-D
2	2	By: Hopper H.B. No. 2326
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to requiring the board members of the Texas Water
10	10	Development Board to be elected by the qualified voters at a general
11	11	election instead of appointed by the governor.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. The heading to Section 6.052, Water Code, is
14	14	amended to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 6.052. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD; ELECTION [APPOINTMENT].
16	16	SECTION 2. Section 6.052(a), Water Code, is amended to read
17	17	as follows:
18	18	[(a)] The board is composed of 16 [three] members who are
19	19	elected by the qualified voters of the regional water planning area
20	20	in which the member is running on the uniform election date in
21	21	November authorized by Section 41.001, Election Code [appointed by
22	22	the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. One member
23	23	must have experience in the field of engineering, one member must
24	24	have experience in the field of public or private finance, and one
25	25	member must have experience in the field of law or business].
26	26	SECTION 3. Sections 6.053(a), (b), and (d), Water Code, are
27	27	amended to read as follows:
28	28	(a) Members of the board must be members of the general
29	29	public who have experience in the fields of engineering, public or
30	30	private finance, or law or business.
31	31	(b) A person is not eligible for election [appointment] to
32	32	the board if the person or the person's spouse:
33	33	(1) is employed by or participates in the management
34	34	of a business entity or other organization regulated by the board or
35	35	receiving funds from the board;
36	36	(2) owns, controls, or has, directly or indirectly,
37	37	more than a 10 percent interest in a business entity or other
38	38	organization regulated by the board or receiving funds from the
39	39	board; or
40	40	(3) uses or receives a substantial amount of tangible
41	41	goods, services, or funds from the board.
42	42	(d) A person is not eligible for election [appointment] to
43	43	the board if the person served on the board on or before January 1,
44	44	2013.
45	45	SECTION 4. Section 6.054(a), Water Code, is amended to read
46	46	as follows:
47	47	(a) It is a ground for removal from the board that a member:
48	48	(1) does not have at the time of taking office the
49	49	qualifications required for election [appointment] to the board;
50	50	(2) does not maintain during service on the board the
51	51	qualifications required for election [appointment] to the board;
52	52	(3) is ineligible for membership under Sections 6.053,
53	53	6.057, and 6.058;
54	54	(4) cannot, because of illness or disability,
55	55	discharge the member's duties for a substantial part of the member's
56	56	term; or
57	57	(5) is absent from more than half of the regularly
58	58	scheduled board meetings that the member is eligible to attend
59	59	during a calendar year without an excuse approved by a majority vote
60	60	of the board.
61	61	SECTION 5. Section 6.056, Water Code, is amended to read as
62	62	follows:
63	63	Sec. 6.056. TERMS OF OFFICE. (a) The members of the board
64	64	hold office for staggered terms of six years[, with the term of one
65	65	member expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year]. Each member
66	66	holds office until a successor is elected [appointed] and has
67	67	qualified.
68	68	(b) A person elected [appointed] to the board may not serve
69	69	for more than two six-year terms.
70	70	SECTION 6. Section 6.059, Water Code, is amended to read as
71	71	follows:
72	72	Sec. 6.059. CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. The members of the board
73	73	[governor] shall elect [designate] one member as chairman of the
74	74	board [to serve at the will of the governor].
75	75	SECTION 7. Sections 6.062(a) and (c), Water Code, are
76	76	amended to read as follows:
77	77	(a) A person who is elected [appointed] to and qualifies for
78	78	office as a member of the board may not vote, deliberate, or be
79	79	counted as a member in attendance at a meeting of the board until
80	80	the person completes a training program that complies with this
81	81	section.
82	82	(c) A person elected [appointed] to the board is entitled to
83	83	reimbursement, as provided by the General Appropriations Act, for
84	84	the travel expenses incurred in attending the training program
85	85	regardless of whether the attendance at the program occurs before
86	86	or after the person qualifies for office.
87	87	SECTION 8. Sections 6.052(b) and (c), Water Code, are
88	88	repealed.
89	89	SECTION 9. (a) The Texas Water Development Board shall hold
90	90	an election to elect 16 directors as described by Section 6.052,
91	91	Water Code, as amended by this Act, on the uniform election date in
92	92	November 2026.
93	93	(b) At the first meeting of the members of the Texas Water
94	94	Development Board that follows the election of members under
95	95	Subsection (a) of this section, the members shall draw lots to
96	96	determine which four directors shall serve a term of two years,
97	97	which six directors shall serve a term of four years, and which six
98	98	directors shall serve a term of six years. Thereafter, all elected
99	99	members serve six-year terms.
100	100	(c) The terms of the members serving on the Texas Water
101	101	Development Board expire on the date the members elected under
102	102	Subsection (a) of this section have qualified.
103	103	SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025, but
104	104	only if the constitutional amendment proposed by the 89th
105	105	Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, requiring the board members of
106	106	the Texas Water Development Board to be elected by the qualified
107	107	voters at a general election instead of appointed by the governor is
108	108	approved by the voters. If that amendment is not approved by the
109	109	voters, this Act has no effect.