HBA-NRS H.B. 2405 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2405 By: Gray County Affairs 7/18/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE On the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County there have been repeated incidents of people organizing mass gatherings. The Bolivar Peninsula is an unincorporated area and is not subject to many county regulations. Because of a lack of regulation, these gatherings have resulted in large amounts of trash being deposited on the beach and reported acts of violence. House Bill 2405 authorizes the commissioners court of a county bordering on the Gulf of Mexico to regulate mass gatherings of individuals on any beach in the unincorporated area of the county. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 2405 amends the Natural Resources Code to authorize the commissioners court of a county bordering on the Gulf of Mexico or its tidewater limits, by order, to regulate mass gatherings of individuals on any beach in the unincorporated area of the county by requiring a person to obtain a permit and pay a permit fee before the person may hold a mass gathering. The bill sets forth provisions regarding the application and issuance of a permit. The bill entitles the county to appropriate injunctive relief to prevent the violation or threatened violation of such an order. An offense committed regarding the regulation of mass gatherings is a Class B misdemeanor. EFFECTIVE DATE June 15, 2001.