HBA-BSM H.B. 1504 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1504 By: Walker Natural Resources 7/25/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Previous state law required groundwater conservation districts that had authority over water well permits to promptly consider and pass on each application received. By changing the requirement to act instead of pass, House Bill 1504 authorizes districts to have greater options for the approval or denial of applications received. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 1504 amends the Water Code to require a groundwater conservation district that has the authority to regulate water wells to promptly consider and act on each administratively complete application for a permit. The bill authorizes an applicant to petition the district court of the county where the land is located for a writ of mandamus to compel the district to act or set a date for a hearing on the application after 30 days from the date of the administratively complete application, if an application has not been acted upon or set for a hearing on a specific date. The bill authorizes the district by rule to set a time when an application will expire if the requested information is not provided to the district. EFFECTIVE DATE May 24, 2001.