Bill Text: TX SB636 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of a task force to evaluate recreational use of rivers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-24 - Referred to Natural Resources & Economic Development [SB636 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SB636-Introduced.html
84R5644 SLB-D | ||
By: Zaffirini | S.B. No. 636 |
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relating to the creation of a task force to evaluate recreational | ||
use of rivers. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. RECREATIONAL RIVER USE TASK FORCE. (a) In this | ||
Act, "task force" means the Recreational River Use Task Force | ||
established under this section. | ||
(b) The Recreational River Use Task Force is established for | ||
the purposes of: | ||
(1) assessing the effects of recreational use of | ||
rivers on: | ||
(A) state and local economies; | ||
(B) environmental health; and | ||
(C) water quality; and | ||
(2) evaluating: | ||
(A) the safety of recreational users of rivers; | ||
(B) the quality of the recreational experience of | ||
river users; and | ||
(C) the public policy implications of increased | ||
recreational use of rivers. | ||
(c) The task force shall focus its efforts on areas of heavy | ||
recreational use of rivers. | ||
(d) The task force is composed of the following 11 members: | ||
(1) one representative of the Economic Development and | ||
Tourism Division of the governor's office, appointed by the | ||
governor; | ||
(2) one representative of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage | ||
Commission's Education and Prevention Division, appointed by the | ||
governor; | ||
(3) one representative of a river authority, appointed | ||
by the lieutenant governor; | ||
(4) one representative of an entity that is | ||
distinguished by its efforts in water resource protection, | ||
appointed by the lieutenant governor; | ||
(5) one elected official of a county in which | ||
recreational use of a river is high, appointed by the lieutenant | ||
governor; | ||
(6) one representative of a river recreation business, | ||
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; | ||
(7) one owner of residential riverfront property, | ||
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; | ||
(8) one elected official of a municipality in which | ||
recreational use of a river is high, appointed by the speaker of the | ||
house of representatives; | ||
(9) the presiding officer of the Texas Commission on | ||
Environmental Quality, or the officer's designee; | ||
(10) the presiding officer of the Parks and Wildlife | ||
Commission, or the officer's designee; and | ||
(11) the director of the Texas State University | ||
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. | ||
(e) The members of the task force shall elect a presiding | ||
officer. | ||
(f) The Parks and Wildlife Department shall provide staff | ||
support to the task force. | ||
(g) The task force shall appoint a scientific advisory | ||
committee to serve as impartial scientific advisors for the task | ||
force. The director of the Texas State University Meadows Center | ||
for Water and the Environment shall serve as the presiding officer | ||
of the scientific advisory committee. | ||
(h) The task force shall hold public hearings to achieve the | ||
purposes described by Subsection (b). | ||
(i) A member of the task force or the scientific advisory | ||
committee is not entitled to receive compensation for service on | ||
the task force or committee but is entitled to reimbursement of the | ||
travel expenses incurred by the member while conducting the | ||
business of the task force or committee. | ||
(j) The task force may accept gifts and grants from any | ||
source to be used to carry out a function of the task force or the | ||
scientific advisory committee. | ||
SECTION 2. FINAL REPORT. Not later than November 1, 2016, | ||
the task force shall submit a final report to the governor, the | ||
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, | ||
the authors and sponsors of the Act creating the task force, and the | ||
members of the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate | ||
Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development. The report | ||
shall include a summary and analysis of: | ||
(1) hearings and studies conducted by the task force; | ||
(2) legislation proposed by the task force; and | ||
(3) other findings and recommendations made by the | ||
task force. | ||
SECTION 3. APPOINTMENTS. Not later than December 1, 2015, | ||
the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house | ||
of representatives shall make the appointments to the task force as | ||
described by Section 1(d) of this Act. | ||
SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. The task force is abolished and this | ||
Act expires August 31, 2017. | ||
SECTION 5. 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, 2015. |