According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), SB 2497 is expected to have no significant fiscal impact on the State of Texas. The bill authorizes, but does not mandate, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to order the installation of filtration systems in small public drinking water systems under specific conditions. Because the authority granted is discretionary and applies to systems that already exhibit ongoing compliance issues, the TCEQ is anticipated to absorb any administrative or enforcement costs within its existing resources and operational structure.

Importantly, the bill does not require the state to fund the filtration systems directly. Instead, it empowers TCEQ to issue orders based on existing regulatory oversight and complaint investigation processes. Therefore, no new programmatic funding, staff expansion, or capital expenditure is required at the state level.

Similarly, no significant fiscal impact is anticipated for local governments. The legislation specifically targets public water systems with fewer than 100 connections—typically smaller, often rural systems that are not operated by municipal governments. While affected systems may face costs if ordered to install a filtration system, the bill includes a "reasonable cost" standard, which provides a safeguard against imposing financially unmanageable compliance burdens. Furthermore, since these systems are typically independently operated utilities or water supply corporations, they do not fall under the financial responsibility of local government entities.

Overall, SB 2497 is designed to address targeted public health risks within existing regulatory and fiscal frameworks, avoiding new state or local government spending obligations. The bill’s measured scope and conditional enforcement mechanism allow it to operate within the current capacity of TCEQ, thereby maintaining fiscal neutrality.

SB 2497 is a measured and necessary response to persistent water quality issues affecting small, often rural communities in Texas. It provides the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) with limited, targeted authority to require filtration systems in public drinking water systems with fewer than 100 connections, but only when there is a consistent pattern of water quality violations and substantiated complaints. The bill addresses legitimate public concerns—particularly from areas like Senate District 21—where residents report recurring problems such as discolored or odorous water, mineral deposits, and unaddressed complaints, despite rising water rates and deteriorating infrastructure.

The bill does not create a mandate for all small systems, nor does it impose burdensome regulation. Instead, it includes reasonable safeguards: action is only authorized if the system has repeatedly exceeded EPA or TCEQ water quality standards, received multiple substantiated complaints within 12 months, and where filtration is affordable and feasible. This ensures that enforcement is data-driven, responsive, and economically sensitive, protecting ratepayers while holding failing systems accountable.

From a liberty-focused policy standpoint, SB 2497 aligns with the principle of limited but effective government. It does not expand bureaucratic authority unnecessarily, nor does it create new rulemaking powers. Instead, it empowers TCEQ to intervene only when there is a clear and repeated failure to deliver reliable water service, thereby protecting residents' basic expectations of public health and utility service quality. The bill also respects private property rights by focusing on system-level infrastructure, not individual behavior, and enhances personal responsibility by signaling that water system operators must maintain their wells and infrastructure in accordance with regulatory standards.

In summary, this bill addresses a real and ongoing need with a narrowly tailored tool. It protects public confidence in drinking water while respecting the practical and financial limits of small utility operators. For its precision, fairness, and alignment with both public health and liberty principles, Texas Policy Research recommends that lawmakers vote YES on SB 2497.

• Individual Liberty: The bill supports individual liberty by ensuring that residents—particularly in small or rural communities—have access to clean and usable drinking water. While it authorizes the state to require filtration systems under certain conditions, this authority is narrowly tailored and only applies after repeated regulatory violations and consumer complaints. Rather than infringing on liberty, it reinforces the public’s reasonable expectation of safe, basic services. Clean water is foundational to individual autonomy, and the bill seeks to preserve that without imposing broad mandates.
• Personal Responsibility: SB 2497 encourages and reinforces personal and institutional responsibility. It holds small water system operators accountable when they consistently fail to meet minimum water quality standards or neglect infrastructure maintenance. Rather than enabling dependency, the bill places responsibility squarely on the utility to correct problems it has failed to address voluntarily—often after prior recommendations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). In this way, it upholds the principle that those managing public resources must do so responsibly.
• Free Enterprise: The bill has a limited impact on free enterprise, as it does not interfere with market competition or private enterprise operations beyond the regulated domain of public water utilities. It applies only to systems serving fewer than 100 connections, which are often non-profit entities or small utility cooperatives already subject to basic water quality regulations. The bill does not create new licensing, fees, or commercial restrictions—it simply strengthens enforcement against ongoing noncompliance. By tying intervention to clear public health standards and limiting it to feasible, cost-reasonable solutions, it avoids distorting the broader market.
• Private Property Rights: SB 2497 does not infringe on private property rights. It targets public water systems, not individual property owners, and only authorizes action on the communal infrastructure level when the system fails to maintain acceptable water quality. If anything, the bill helps preserve the property value and livability of affected homes by ensuring access to a safe and reliable water supply—a critical utility tied directly to property use and well-being.
• Limited Government: The bill respects the principle of limited government by authorizing narrow, conditional action only when specific and repeated failures have occurred. It does not expand TCEQ’s rulemaking authority or establish new bureaucracies. It gives the agency a tool to address recurring problems where voluntary compliance has failed, and only when a filtration system can be installed at reasonable cost. This measured approach ensures that government intervention is responsive, not preemptive, and grounded in clearly defined performance failures rather than speculative risks.

• HB 5208 (Same As)