Rep. Erin Zwiener introduced HB 2608, a bill on Environment, to the Texas House on Monday, Feb. 10 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’relating to the consideration by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of alternative waste collection, treatment, and disposal options before issuing permits to discharge certain waste’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill addresses the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) consideration of alternative waste management options before granting discharge permits for certain waste. It empowers the commission to deny or adjust permits based on need, factoring in the volume and quality of waste and the availability of existing or proposed regional waste systems. TCEQ can only grant a permit if the applicant proves it is not economically feasible for another permit holder to manage the waste, or if the applicant will treat and discharge the waste to a higher quality standard than would otherwise be achieved. This provision targets the control and treatment of conventional pollutants in domestic wastewater. The new rules apply to applications filed on or after the effective date of Sept. 1, 2025.
Erin Zwiener, the vice chair of the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, proposed another 19 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. She is also a member of the House Committee on Local & Consent Calendars, a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, and a member of the House Committee on S/C on County & Regional Government.
Zwiener graduated from the University of Montana.
Erin Zwiener is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state’s 45th House district. She replaced previous state representative Jason Isaac in 2019.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Legislative Session | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89(R) | HB 2614 | 02/10/2025 | Relating to the regulation of motor vehicle booting |
| 89(R) | HB 2612 | 02/10/2025 | Relating to the establishment and functions of the Texas Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Policy Council |
| 89(R) | HB 2347 | 02/03/2025 | Relating to the adoption of a water conservation program by certain counties |
| 89(R) | HB 2346 | 02/03/2025 | Relating to the adoption of a water conservation program by a county |
| 89(R) | HB 2020 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to the electronic filing with the Texas Ethics Commission of certain reports of political contributions and expenditures |
| 89(R) | HB 2019 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid to certain individuals who are younger than 26 years of age |
| 89(R) | HB 2015 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to the consideration of water conservation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality when determining whether to grant or deny a petition for the creation of certain municipal utility districts |
| 89(R) | HB 2007 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to commercial signs along certain roads |
| 89(R) | HB 1496 | 12/03/2024 | Relating to the use, possession, delivery, or manufacture of testing equipment that identifies the presence of fentanyl, alpha-methylfentanyl, or any other derivative or controlled substance analogue of fentanyl |
| 89(R) | HB 1438 | 11/21/2024 | Relating to climate change planning and reporting |
| 89(R) | HB 1390 | 11/18/2024 | Relating to the requirement of a school district to notify a parent of curriculum or instructional material containing religion or religious values |
| 89(R) | HB 1256 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the authority of a county commissioners court to adopt an exemption from ad valorem taxation by each taxing unit that taxes the property of the portion of the appraised value of a person’s property that is attributable to the installation in or on the property of certain water conservation systems |
| 89(R) | HB 1253 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the instruction on bullying and harassment included in the required health curriculum for public school students |
| 89(R) | HB 1249 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to authorizing the use of a writing portfolio assessment to assess writing performance for public school students |
| 89(R) | HB 1247 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the interruption of utility service by a residential landlord |
| 89(R) | HB 1235 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the ability of a voter registrar and volunteer deputy registrar to distribute and receive applications for a ballot to be voted by mail |
| 89(R) | HB 1032 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to voting a limited ballot following the change of the county of residence by a voter |
| 89(R) | HB 1020 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to campaign contribution limits for certain offices |
| 89(R) | HB 1003 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to acceptable forms of identification for voting |
| 88(4) | HB 111 | 11/15/2023 | Relating to prohibiting the possession of weapons on public property within 1000 feet of a school in Texas |
| 88(3) | HB 204 | 11/01/2023 | Relating to the inclusion of a water conservation plan in a petition filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requesting the creation of a municipal utility district |
| 88(3) | HB 205 | 11/01/2023 | Relating to the consideration by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of alternative waste collection, treatment, and disposal options before issuing permits to discharge certain waste |
| 88(3) | HB 95 | 10/09/2023 | Relating to requiring the legislature to set the basic allotment and guaranteed yield under the public school finance system at certain amounts in the General Appropriations Act |
| 88(3) | HB 96 | 10/09/2023 | Relating to the adoption of a water conservation program by a county |
| 88(3) | HB 97 | 10/09/2023 | Relating to water breaks for employees of certain contractors with a governmental entity; providing an administrative penalty |
| 88(3) | HB 100 | 10/09/2023 | Relating to the creation of a universal higher education savings trust account by the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board |
| 88(1) | HB 30 | 05/30/2023 | Relating to the authority of a county commissioners court to adopt an exemption from ad valorem taxation by each taxing unit that taxes the property of the portion of the appraised value of a person’s property that is attributable to the installation in or on the property of certain water conservation systems |
| 88(R) | HB 4869 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the confidentiality of certain home address information in certain documents |
| 88(R) | HB 4957 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the regulation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of the discharge of preproduction plastic |
| 88(R) | HB 5025 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the boundaries of the single-member districts for and vacancies on the board of directors of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District |
| 88(R) | HB 5071 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to privacy protections for individuals experiencing pregnancy loss |
| 88(R) | HB 5091 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to a procedure governing the removal of a book or other media maintained by a public school teacher in a classroom |
| 88(R) | HB 5248 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the establishment of a task force to provide recommendations for the repatriation and disposition of Indigenous objects held by state institutions and agencies |
| 88(R) | HB 5257 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the applicability of certain collective bargaining laws to certain public school employees, school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools |
| 88(R) | HB 5266 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to speech protections for student media publications in public schools |
| 88(R) | HB 5271 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the control of white-tailed deer in certain areas by lethal means |
| 88(R) | HB 5295 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the electronic filing with the Texas Ethics Commission of certain reports of political contributions and expenditures |
| 88(R) | HB 4144 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to the regulation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of the discharge of preproduction plastic |
| 88(R) | HB 4190 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to voting a limited ballot following the change of the county of residence by a voter |
| 88(R) | HB 4193 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to educational materials regarding fentanyl substance abuse |
| 88(R) | HB 4195 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to the installation by a residential tenant of an electric vehicle charging station in a parking space assigned to the tenant |
| 88(R) | HB 4225 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to a study conducted by the Railroad Commission of Texas to determine the net reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere resulting from the use of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology |
| 88(R) | HB 4233 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to training regarding runaway prevention for certain individuals who provide care for children in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services |
| 88(R) | HB 4247 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to requiring notice regarding the potential eligibility to vote of certain persons convicted of a felony and the duties of a sheriff or jailer relating to elections |
| 88(R) | HB 3838 | 03/07/2023 | Relating to trauma-informed care training for certain state employees developed by the Health and Human Services Commission |
| 88(R) | HB 3953 | 03/07/2023 | Relating to the adoption of a water conservation program by a county |
| 88(R) | HB 3602 | 03/06/2023 | Relating to the maintenance, administration, and disposal of opioid antagonists at school district campuses serving students in grades six and above |
| 88(R) | HB 3205 | 03/02/2023 | Relating to an increase in the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district, an adjustment in the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in the exemption amount, and the protection of school districts against the resulting loss in local revenue |
| 88(R) | HB 3061 | 03/01/2023 | Relating to the creation of certain energy efficiency programs |
| 88(R) | HB 3149 | 03/01/2023 | Relating to the creation of a universal higher education savings trust account by the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board |
