By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1719 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the permitting processes of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS SECTION 1. Section 361.064, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Subsections (c), (d), and (e), to read as follows: (c) The commission may impose penalties on any applicant who files an application in bad faith, with the amount of the penalty to be determined by rulemaking considering the nature of the bad faith conduct, the harm caused by the conduct, and any prior violations by the applicant in determining the penalty. (d) The commission shall impose reasonable fees for filing amendments to permits, except that the first amendment filed for the same application shall not have any associated filing fees. Such fees shall be based on the actual cost to the commission to process the amendments. (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any fees associated with an application for a permit under Section 361.061 shall be adjusted annually by the commission to reflect the cost of inflation as determined by the consumer price index. SECTION 2. Subsection 361.089(f), Health and Safety Code, is repealed. SECTION 3. Section 361.089, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Subsections (f) and (g) and amending Subsection (e)(2) to read as follows: (e) The commission may deny an original or renewal permit if it is found, after notice and hearing, that: (1) the applicant or permit holder has a compliance history that is classified as unsatisfactory according to commission standards under Sections 5.753 and 5.754, Water Code, and rules adopted and procedures developed under those sections; [(2) the permit holder or applicant made a false or misleading statement in connection with an original or renewal application, either in the formal application or in any other written instrument relating to the application submitted to the commission, its officers, or its employees;] (2) the permit holder or applicant is indebted to the state for fees, payment of penalties, or taxes imposed by this title or by a rule of the commission; or (3) the permit holder or applicant is unable to ensure that the management of the hazardous waste management facility conforms or will conform to this title and the rules of the commission. (f) The commission shall deny an original or renewal permit if it is found, after notice and hearing, that the permit holder or applicant made a materially false or misleading statement in connection with an original or renewal application, either in the formal application or any other written instrument relating to the application submitted to the commission, its officers, or its employees. (g) The commission shall deny an original or renewal permit: (1) if the permit holder or applicant files more than three amendments to the same application; or (2) five years after the day the application for a permit is submitted if the application is not administratively complete under Section 361.068. (h) For purposes of this section, the terms "permit holder" and "applicant" include each member of a partnership or association and, with respect to a corporation, each officer and the owner or owners of a majority of the corporate stock, provided such partner or owner controls at least 20 percent of the permit holder or applicant and at least 20 percent of another business which operates a solid waste management facility. SECTION 4. This act takes effect September 1, 2023.