Bill Text: TX SB1381 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a biennial report on stormwater infrastructure in this state.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-14 - Referred to Water & Rural Affairs [SB1381 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB1381-Introduced.html
| 86R4102 JXC-D | ||
| By: Rodríguez | S.B. No. 1381 | |
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| relating to a biennial report on stormwater infrastructure in this | ||
| state. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 5, Water Code, is amended | ||
| by adding Section 5.136 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 5.136. BIENNIAL REPORT ON STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE. | ||
| (a) In this section, the term "green stormwater infrastructure," | ||
| also known as "low impact development," means systems and practices | ||
| that: | ||
| (1) use or mimic natural processes that result in the | ||
| infiltration, evapotranspiration, treatment, or use of stormwater; | ||
| (2) manage stormwater, protect water quality and | ||
| associated habitat, or augment or replace conventional engineered | ||
| stormwater systems; | ||
| (3) meet local requirements for post-development | ||
| stormwater retention and detention and erosion management; and | ||
| (4) are considered best management practices. | ||
| (b) Each state fiscal biennium the commission shall appoint | ||
| a Green Stormwater Infrastructure and Low Impact Development Report | ||
| Group to prepare a report on the use of green stormwater | ||
| infrastructure and low impact development in this state. Each | ||
| group must be composed of 10 members appointed by the commission, | ||
| with one member to represent each of the following: | ||
| (1) counties; | ||
| (2) municipalities; | ||
| (3) special districts that have land development | ||
| authority or provide water or wastewater services; | ||
| (4) academic university programs related to land | ||
| development; | ||
| (5) businesses engaged in real estate development; | ||
| (6) civil engineers; | ||
| (7) landscape architects; | ||
| (8) environmental groups; | ||
| (9) professional organizations focused on water | ||
| conservation; and | ||
| (10) vendors and providers of green stormwater | ||
| infrastructure and low impact development systems or practices. | ||
| (c) The commission shall solicit nominations for group | ||
| members from the entities listed in Subsection (b). The commission | ||
| may not appoint a person to serve as a group member representing a | ||
| type of entity unless the person is nominated by a representative of | ||
| that type of entity. | ||
| (d) Each report must include: | ||
| (1) a list of each county, municipality, and special | ||
| district with land development authority that allows the use of | ||
| green stormwater infrastructure and low impact development in land | ||
| development projects in the county, municipal, or district | ||
| territory; | ||
| (2) estimates of: | ||
| (A) the number of private and public projects and | ||
| sites in this state that use green stormwater infrastructure and | ||
| low impact development; | ||
| (B) the amount of stormwater that is managed by | ||
| the green stormwater infrastructure and low impact development | ||
| features described in Paragraph (A); and | ||
| (C) the amount of money invested in the green | ||
| stormwater infrastructure and low impact development features | ||
| described in Paragraph (A); | ||
| (3) a monetized assessment of the social, economic, | ||
| and environmental benefits realized by the use of green stormwater | ||
| infrastructure and low impact development in this state; | ||
| (4) an assessment of typical impediments to the use of | ||
| green stormwater infrastructure and low impact development in local | ||
| development codes; | ||
| (5) an assessment of impediments in the law and | ||
| policies of this state to the use of green stormwater | ||
| infrastructure and low impact development; and | ||
| (6) recommendations to encourage increased use and | ||
| deployment of green stormwater infrastructure and low impact | ||
| development in this state. | ||
| (e) The commission shall: | ||
| (1) publicly solicit information to support the | ||
| preparation of the report; and | ||
| (2) cooperate with the group in providing information | ||
| or access to information. | ||
| (f) The group shall: | ||
| (1) conduct at least one meeting to receive input on | ||
| the preparation of the report; | ||
| (2) prepare a draft report; | ||
| (3) publish the draft report and solicit comments on | ||
| the draft report; | ||
| (4) prepare a response-to-comments document and | ||
| finalize the report; and | ||
| (5) not later than January 1 of the second year of the | ||
| state fiscal biennium, submit the final report to: | ||
| (A) each member of the commission; | ||
| (B) the governor; | ||
| (C) the lieutenant governor; | ||
| (D) the speaker of the house of representatives; | ||
| and | ||
| (E) each member of the legislature. | ||
| SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Commission on Environmental | ||
| Quality shall appoint the members of the first Green Stormwater | ||
| Infrastructure and Low Impact Development Report Group under | ||
| Section 5.136, Water Code, as added by this Act, in a timely manner | ||
| to ensure that the group is able to prepare the report by January 1, | ||
| 2021. | ||
| (b) Notwithstanding Section 5.136(d), Water Code, as added | ||
| by this Act, the first biennial report prepared by the Green | ||
| Stormwater Infrastructure and Low Impact Development Report Group | ||
| is required to include only information described by Section | ||
| 5.136(d), Water Code, as added by this Act, that the Texas | ||
| Commission on Environmental Quality requires to be in the report. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
