Texas House Rep. Gerdes authors bill requiring groundwater transfer notices

Newly passed bill authored by State Rep. Stan Gerdes aims to ensure stakeholders are informed about groundwater transfer applications by requiring certified mail and public notices after passing both chambers, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 50 Democrats and 83 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Stan Gerdes introduced the bill in the Texas House on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Gerdes graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008 with a BA.

Gerdes, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 17th House district, replacing previous state representative John Cyrier.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to an application for a permit for the transfer of groundwater out of a groundwater conservation district’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends the Water Code to require that notices for applications to transfer groundwater out of a conservation district be provided by the applicant. Notices must be sent by certified mail to each adjacent district and the commissioners courts of each relevant county. Additionally, the notice must be published in newspapers of general circulation within the counties involved. This requirement is designed to ensure that all stakeholders are informed about proposed groundwater transfers. The bill takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Thursday, May 29, but was vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday, June 22.

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.