HBA-MPA H.B. 2497 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2497 By: Farabee County Affairs 4/11/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, rural county residents must provide for their own trash services by paying a private waste disposal company, or dispose of their trash themselves by burning or transporting it to a landfill or "in-town" dumpster. It is common for rural residents not to dispose of their waste properly and littering on county property is often a result of the lack of rural trash pick-up service. Disposal of waste in "in-town" dumpsters by rural residents is not looked upon kindly by in-town businesses and residents who pay for this service. H.B. 2497 allows a county to contract with a trash/solid waste disposal company through the competitive bidding process to pick up trash and solid waste in rural areas of the county, and to contract with an electric utility that serves the area where the collection service is provided to collect a fee for the service. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter Z, Chapter 240, Local Government Code, by adding Section 240.906, as follows: Sec. 240.906. COUNTY TRASH AND SOLID WASTE COLLECTION. (a) Authorizes the commissioners court of a county to contract with another entity for collection of waste in all or a designated portion of the unincorporated area of the county. Provides that the commissioners court must use the competitive bidding process in the award of a contract under this subsection. (b) Requires the commissioners court to provide by order whether trash or solid waste collection is voluntary or mandatory for persons or businesses in the affected area, and a method of charging persons or businesses for the cost of collection of trash or solid waste in the affected area. (c) Authorizes a commissioners court to contract with an electric utility that serves the area where trash and solid waste collection is provided to collect the fee charged in conjunction with the electric bill. Authorizes the contract to provide for an additional fee to cover the costs of the electric utility in collecting the fee. SECTION 2.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.