HBA-JLV H.B. 2726 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2726
By: Madden
Environmental Regulation
3/26/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The federal Clean Air Act requires states to develop clean air strategies
within State Implementation Plans (SIP).  Environmental clean air
strategies embodied in the SIP aim toward improving air quality in the
state for the benefit of the public's health.  Paralleling efforts to
improve air quality, some residents of the state seek to investigate a
correlation between high ozone exceedance days and school attendance rates
in two of the major metropolitan areas of Texas to understand if the impact
of poor air quality is affecting public health.  House Bill 2726 requires
the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, in collaboration with
the Texas Department of Heath and the Texas Education Agency, to conduct a
study of the effect of air pollution on school absenteeism. 

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 2726 requires the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
(TNRCC) and the Texas Department of Health (TDH) to conduct a study of the
effect of air pollution on school absenteeism in two major metropolitan
areas of Texas.  The bill requires TNRCC, in conducting the study, to
correlate air pollution monitoring data collected by TNRCC with absenteeism
statistics from schools near outdoor monitoring stations collected by the
Texas Education Agency.  The bill requires that the study be long enough to
scientifically determine a presence or absence of a correlation between air
pollution and school absenteeism.  The bill requires the TDH to serve as a
methodological consultant for the study and to help analyze and draw
conclusions from the data and to help determine results of the study.  Not
later than May 1, 2002, TNRCC is required to submit to the governor, the
lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives a
written report containing the findings of the study.  

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001. 
The Act expires June 1, 2002.