89R15582 SCR-F     By: Hancock S.B. No. 2832       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the expiration date of certain permits issued by   groundwater conservation districts.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 36, Water Code, is amended   by adding Section 36.1141 to read as follows:          Sec. 36.1141.  EXPIRATION OF PERMITS SUBJECT TO LITIGATION.   (a) A district shall delay the expiration date of a drilling,   operating, or transfer permit, and the expiration of any associated   permits issued to the permit holder by the district, if the   expiration date occurs while the drilling, operating, or transfer   permit holder is a party to litigation concerning the issuance or   validity of the permit.          (b)  The district shall delay the expiration date until:                (1)  if the litigation ultimately results in the permit   being held to be valid, the two-year anniversary of the date on   which a final, nonappealable judgment in the litigation concerning   the permit is issued; or                (2)  if the litigation ultimately results in the permit   being held invalid, the date on which a final, nonappealable   judgment in the litigation concerning the permit is issued.          (c)  This section does not apply to litigation initiated by   the permit holder.          (d)  This section does not apply to a permit holder who:                (1)  is delinquent in paying a fee required by the   district;                (2)  is subject to a pending enforcement action for a   substantive violation of a district permit, order, or rule that has   not been settled by agreement with the district or a final   adjudication; or                (3)  has not paid a civil penalty or has otherwise   failed to comply with an order resulting from a final adjudication   of a violation of a district permit, order, or rule.          SECTION 2.  Section 36.1141, Water Code, as added by this   Act, applies only to a permit issued on or after January 1, 2022.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.