BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1582

By: Hughes

Energy Resources

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is responsible for the licensing and registration of individuals engaged in activities involving liquefied petroleum gas and compressed natural gas. The examination component of licensing and registration has historically been paper-based and administered in person by RRC staff; however, it has been suggested that authorizing the RRC to utilize proctoring services, including online proctoring services, for administering examinations would provide greater flexibility. Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the requirement that a testing service that administers an examination relating to liquefied petroleum gas collect the examination fee, which creates an unnecessary intermediate process for fees that could be paid directly to the RRC and limits the RRC's ability to select testing services. S.B. 1582 seeks to address these issues by revising the applicable licensing and registration provisions in order to improve the efficiency of test administration and offer greater convenience to license and registration applicants.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1582 amends the Natural Resources Code to remove provisions relating to licensing and registration under the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code that do the following:

·         authorize a testing service to administer an examination before the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) receives the nonrefundable examination fee; and

·         require the testing service to collect the fee before administering the examination and to forward the fee to the RRC not later than the fifth business day after the date the testing service receives the fee.

S.B. 1582 extends provisions that provide for applicable licensing and registration examination functions under the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code and under statutory provisions relating to compressed natural gas to be performed by a testing service by providing for those functions alternatively to be performed by a proctoring service.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.