HBA-GUM H.B. 3381 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3381
By: Hilderbran
Public Health
4/19/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, rural Texas youth camps are defined as public drinking
water suppliers in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and, thus, are
subject to the rules and regulations set forth by the Environmental
Protection Agency and adopted by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission.  These regulations, licenses, and fees are the same regulations
that cities are required to comply with in regard to public drinking water.
H.B. 3381 requires the Texas Department of Health (TDH) to regulate the
water supply at a licensed and approved youth camp as provided by Section
141.009, Health and Safety Code, and by rules adopted by the Texas Board of
Health under that section.  This bill also requires that youth camp
drinking water be classified as being furnished for private use, and
prohibits youth camps from reselling the water. 

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 C, Chapter 341, Health and Safety Code, by
adding Section 341.051, as follows: 

Sec. 341.051.  WATER SUPPLIES AT YOUTH CAMPS.  (a)  Provides that this
subchapter (Sanitary Standards of Drinking Water; Protection of Public
Water Supplies and Bodies of Water) does not apply to drinking water
supplied by a youth camp to staff and campers at the camp and their
visitors. 

(b)  Requires the Texas Department of Health (TDH) to regulate the water
supply at a youth camp as provided by Section 141.009 (Standards) and rules
adopted by the Texas Board of Health under that section.  Provides that
those rules must comply with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C.
Section 300f et seq.). 

(c)  Requires youth camp drinking water to be classified as being furnished
for private use, regardless of the number of persons for whom water is
supplied.  Prohibits the youth drinking water from being resold to any
other entity for any purpose. 

(d)  Provides that this section applies only to a youth camp licensed and
approved by TDH. 

SECTION 2.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.