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		By: Simmons, Parker (Senate Sponsor - Nelson) | 
        H.B. No. 281 | 
      
      
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               (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 2015;  | 
      
      
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        May 12, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural  | 
      
      
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        Resources and Economic Development; May 21, 2015, reported  | 
      
      
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        adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following  | 
      
      
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        vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; May 21, 2015, sent to printer.) | 
| Click here to see the committee vote | 
      
      
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        COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 281 | 
        By:  Nichols | 
      
    
    
      
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          A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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          AN ACT
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        relating to a limitation on the expansion of certain landfills. | 
      
      
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               BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
      
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               SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 361, Health and Safety  | 
      
      
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        Code, is amended by adding Section 361.1231 to read as follows: | 
      
      
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               Sec. 361.1231.  LIMITATION ON EXPANSION OF CERTAIN  | 
      
      
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        LANDFILLS. (a) This section applies only to a municipally owned  | 
      
      
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        Type I municipal solid waste landfill permitted by the state before  | 
      
      
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        1980 that: | 
      
      
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                     (1)  is located wholly inside the boundaries of a  | 
      
      
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        municipality; and | 
      
      
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                     (2)  is owned by a municipality other than the  | 
      
      
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        municipality in which it is located. | 
      
      
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               (b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter,  | 
      
      
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        the commission may not approve an application for the issuance,  | 
      
      
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        amendment, or renewal of a permit that seeks to expand the area or  | 
      
      
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        capacity of a landfill unless  the governing body of the  | 
      
      
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        municipality in which the landfill is located first approves by  | 
      
      
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        resolution or order the issuance, amendment, or renewal of the  | 
      
      
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        permit. | 
      
      
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               (c)  The commission shall provide the members of the  | 
      
      
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        legislature who represent the district containing the landfill  | 
      
      
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        described in the permit with an opportunity to comment on the  | 
      
      
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        application and shall consider those comments in evaluating an  | 
      
      
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        application under this subchapter. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to  | 
      
      
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        an application for the issuance, amendment, or renewal of a permit  | 
      
      
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        pending before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on or  | 
      
      
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        after the effective date of this Act.  A permit issued, amended, or  | 
      
      
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        renewed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law  | 
      
      
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        in effect when the permit was issued, amended, or renewed, and the  | 
      
      
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        former law is continued in effect for that purpose. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives  | 
      
      
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        a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as  | 
      
      
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        provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this  | 
      
      
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        Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this  | 
      
      
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        Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | 
      
      
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