Bill Text: TX SB976 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an advisory board to study surface water and groundwater interaction.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-29 - Filed [SB976 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB976-Introduced.html
| 89R9362 KRM-D | ||
| By: Eckhardt | S.B. No. 976 | |
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| relating to the establishment of an advisory board to study surface | ||
| water and groundwater interaction. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "advisory board" means | ||
| the Surface Water and Groundwater Interaction Advisory Board. | ||
| SECTION 2. SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER INTERACTION | ||
| ADVISORY BOARD ESTABLISHED. (a) The Surface Water and Groundwater | ||
| Interaction Advisory Board is established and consists of 12 | ||
| persons as follows: | ||
| (1) the executive administrator of the Texas Water | ||
| Development Board; | ||
| (2) one person to represent the interests of the Texas | ||
| Commission on Environmental Quality, recommended by the Texas | ||
| Commission on Environmental Quality and appointed jointly by the | ||
| chairs of the house natural resources committee and the senate | ||
| water, agriculture, and rural affairs committee; | ||
| (3) two persons to represent the interests of river | ||
| authorities, recommended jointly by the Texas Commission on | ||
| Environmental Quality and the Texas Water Development Board and | ||
| appointed jointly by the chairs of the house natural resources | ||
| committee and the senate water, agriculture, and rural affairs | ||
| committee; | ||
| (4) two persons to represent the interests of | ||
| groundwater conservation districts, recommended jointly by the | ||
| Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Water | ||
| Development Board and appointed jointly by the chairs of the house | ||
| natural resources committee and the senate water, agriculture, and | ||
| rural affairs committee; | ||
| (5) two persons with academic or specialist knowledge | ||
| in the area of surface water and groundwater interaction, with one | ||
| appointed by the chair of the house natural resources committee and | ||
| another appointed by the chair of the senate water, agriculture, | ||
| and rural affairs committee; | ||
| (6) one person to represent environmental interests or | ||
| the interests relating to the interaction of surface water and | ||
| groundwater, recommended jointly by the Texas Commission on | ||
| Environmental Quality and the Texas Water Development Board and | ||
| appointed jointly by the chairs of the house natural resources | ||
| committee and the senate water, agriculture, and rural affairs | ||
| committee; | ||
| (7) the chair of the house natural resources | ||
| committee; | ||
| (8) the chair of the senate water, agriculture, and | ||
| rural affairs committee; and | ||
| (9) one person from the office of the governor, | ||
| appointed by the governor. | ||
| (b) The executive administrator of the Texas Water | ||
| Development Board serves as the chair of the advisory board. | ||
| SECTION 3. PUBLIC MEETING. The advisory board shall hold at | ||
| least one public meeting each year in order to accept comments from | ||
| the public on matters studied by the advisory board. | ||
| SECTION 4. SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER INTERACTION STUDY. | ||
| (a) The advisory board shall study: | ||
| (1) the extent to which surface water and groundwater | ||
| interact in this state; | ||
| (2) challenges arising in this state from the | ||
| interaction of surface water and groundwater; and | ||
| (3) approaches to mitigating challenges arising in | ||
| this state from the interaction of surface water and groundwater. | ||
| (b) In conducting the study under this section, the advisory | ||
| board shall consult with: | ||
| (1) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; | ||
| (2) groundwater conservation districts; and | ||
| (3) river authorities. | ||
| SECTION 5. STUDY UPDATES AND REPORT; EXPIRATION OF ACT. (a) | ||
| Not later than December 1 of each year, the advisory board shall | ||
| submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the | ||
| house of representatives, and each member of the legislature an | ||
| annual status report on the progress of the study conducted under | ||
| Section 4 of this Act. | ||
| (b) Not later than December 1, 2034, the advisory board | ||
| shall deliver to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker | ||
| of the house of representatives, and each member of the legislature | ||
| a final report on the determinations of the advisory board based on | ||
| the study conducted under Section 4 of this Act. | ||
| (c) The advisory board shall deliver to the governor, the | ||
| lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, | ||
| or a member of the legislature information related to the annual | ||
| status report under Subsection (a) of this section or the final | ||
| report under Subsection (b) of this section on request. | ||
| (d) The advisory board is abolished and this Act expires | ||
| January 1, 2035. | ||
| SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect | ||
| immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members | ||
| elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas | ||
| Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for | ||
| immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
