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WATER DISTRICT WEBSITES & MEETINGS

House Bill 1154 by Rep. Jacey Jetton / Sen. Lois Kolkhorst
Effective 9/1/21

Background
 Before the 2021 Regular Session began, Rep. Jetton worked with water
district representatives to draft HB 1154, which proposed to enhance
the availability and accessibility of water district information posted
on Internet websites.

 Other proposed measures were filed relating to water district websites
and the location and recording of water district meetings.
 Some bills included provisions that proposed to:
o require water districts to livestream board meetings and post
video recordings of meetings on a district website; and

o prohibit all water districts from holding meetings outside district
boundaries.
 Hundreds of water district directors and constituents contacted their
lawmakers to express concerns. Representatives of the Association of
Water Board Directors (AWBD) traveled to Austin to express their

concerns in a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Local
Government (see picture below).
 The Committee Chairman, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, encouraged the
parties to work together to develop consensus language.
 Sen. Kolkhorst and Rep. Jetton worked with district stakeholders to

develop requirements that provide meaningful solutions without
being unduly costly the taxpayers.
 The agreed-to language became the final version of HB 1154, described
below.

Chairman Bettencourt’s leadership on this issue and other water district
legislation considered by his Committee was invaluable. He has a vast
understanding of the water district industry and the importance of water
districts to the State’s economy.

Rep. Jetton’s House GOP colleagues named him “Freshman of the Year.” He

earned every bit of this accolade. Rep. Jetton was determined in his