HBA-MPA H.B. 2497 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2497
By: Farabee
County Affairs
4/11/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, rural county residents must provide for their own trash services
by paying a private waste disposal company, or dispose of their trash
themselves by burning or transporting it to a landfill or "in-town"
dumpster.  It is common for rural residents not to dispose of their waste
properly and littering on county property is often a result of the lack of
rural trash pick-up service.  Disposal of waste in "in-town" dumpsters by
rural residents is not looked upon kindly by in-town businesses and
residents who pay for this service.  H.B. 2497 allows a county to contract
with a trash/solid waste disposal company through the competitive bidding
process to pick up trash and solid waste in rural areas of the county, and
to contract with an electric utility that serves the area where the
collection service is provided to collect a fee for the service. 

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. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter Z, Chapter 240, Local Government Code, by
adding Section 240.906, as follows: 

Sec. 240.906.  COUNTY TRASH AND SOLID WASTE COLLECTION.  (a) Authorizes the
commissioners court of a county to contract with another entity for
collection of waste in all or a designated portion of the unincorporated
area of the county.  Provides that the commissioners court must use the
competitive bidding process in the award of a contract under this
subsection. 

(b) Requires the commissioners court to provide by order whether trash or
solid waste collection is voluntary or mandatory for persons or businesses
in the affected area, and a method of charging persons or businesses for
the cost of collection of trash or solid waste in the affected area. 

(c) Authorizes a commissioners court to contract with an electric utility
that serves the area where trash and solid waste collection is provided to
collect the fee charged in conjunction with the electric bill.  Authorizes
the contract to provide for an additional fee to cover the costs of the
electric utility in collecting the fee. 

SECTION 2.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.