June 2 will be the last day for the current session of the Texas Legislature, which won’t meet again until 2027. That’s why the pressure to move bills through the legislative process is getting intense. A lucky few bills are getting close to passage by both the House & the Senate. Several bills have been moving, but are currently stalled. And the vast majority of bills are dead for the session, since there’s not enough time left for them to get through all of the legislative steps that they need to complete. You can check the status of the most important water-related bills in SBCA’s Legislative Guide, which also has info on how you can let legislators know which bills you support and which ones you oppose. Click on the button below for this week’s recommended action:
Tell House Natural Resources: Yes on SB 2660!
We’ve told you in a previous newsletter why SB 2660 is important — it would give the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District the same power to set rules and rates as other GCDs in Texas. The district has been hobbled by the legislation that created it in 1999, but SB 2660 would fix that. At least, the original version of this bill as filed by Senator Charles Perry would have empowered Hays Trinity. When the Senate approved SB 2660, it also approved an amendment that would give the district substantially less revenue. Fortunately, a committee substitute that will restore the original language of SB 2660 will be heard by the House Committee on Natural Resources when it meets at 8am tomorrow (Wednesday, May 14). SBCA urges you to submit comments online to support SB 2660:
Go to: https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c390
Enter: Your personal information
Select committee meeting: Natural Resources, May 14
Select bill: SB 2660
Comments: You can write as little or as much as you want. At a minimum, you should say, “Please approve the Committee Substitute for SB 2660.” If you’re a Hays County resident, you should add that too, since that will give your comments more weight.
Click on: Submit
Protect the Pedernales from Mirasol Springs
As we’ve told you in previous SBCA newsletters, Dallas billionaire Steve Winn wants to build a massive 1,900-acre luxury resort called Mirasol Springs on the Pedernales River and near Westcave Preserve and Hamilton Pool. Local landowners have teamed up with Save Our Springs Alliance, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, and Save Barton Creek Association to oppose this harmful development. But our effort needs your help. Your contributions will go towards deeply discounted legal fees, dye tracing studies, and expert witnesses needed to challenge Mirasol’s wastewater and other development permit applications.
Donate here to the Mirasol Springs fund!
