HBA-SEP H.B. 1909 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1909
By: Junell
Natural Resources
3/16/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Lipan-Kickapoo Water Conservation District (district) was created in
1987 in response to concerns of area residents about the potential
contamination of groundwater from leaking oil and gas wells.  At the time
that the district was created, it only covered part of the Lipan Aquifer in
the southern part of Tom Green County.  The district would like to annex
the remainder of the Lipan Aquifer in Tom Green, Concho, and Runnels
counties to enable the district to manage all the aquifer and recharge
zones.  

Currently, the district is subject to provisions regarding water control
and improvement districts and underground water conservation districts.
However, many of the provisions governing these districts were repealed or
consolidated into other chapters of the Water Code in 1995.  House Bill
1909 updates the enabling legislation for the district to allow it to annex
the remainder of the Lipan Aquifer. 

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 1909 amends law to provide that the Lipan-Kickapoo Water
Conservation District (district) is subject to all the powers, duties, and
contractual authority of general law and groundwater conservation
districts.  The bill modifies provisions relating to the composition,
terms, and compensation of the district's board of directors and provides
that the board consists of not fewer than 5 and not more than 11 directors.
EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.