HBA-CBW C.S.H.B. 2340 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2340
By: Salinas
Land & Resource Management
4/30/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Counties are finding it difficult to provide the infrastructure, including
water, sewer service, roads, and fire and police protection to persons
purchasing parcels of land within subdivisions exempt from county
subdivision platting requirements.  Land sold through the Veterans' Land
Board program (program) is exempted from platting requirements for
subdivisions if all of the lots of the subdivision are sold to veterans
through the program. The exemption may have created a loophole for
developers  to subdivide  tracts of land, market them to veterans, and then
sell the subdivided tracts of land to non-veterans.  C.S.H.B. 2340 excepts
any subdivided tract of land owned by the veterans' land fund from plat
requirements unless the subdivision lays out part of the tract as streets,
alleys, squares, parks, or other parts for public use or use by certain
purchases or owners. 

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

C.S.H.B. 2340 amends the Local Government Code  to except a subdivision of
any tract of land owned by the veterans' land fund from county subdivision
platting requirements unless the subdivision lays out a part of the tract
as streets, alleys, squares, parks, or other parts for public use or use by
certain purchasers or owners.  The bill repeals the provision prohibiting a
county from requiring the owner of a tract of land located outside the
limits of a municipality to have a plat of the subdivision of a tract
prepared if all the lots are sold to veterans through the Veterans' Land
Board program. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2340 differs from the original bill to restore current law
regarding the  prohibition on a county from requiring the owner of a tract
of land located outside the limits of a municipality who divides the tract
to have a plat of the subdivision prepared if all the lots are more than 10
acres.