Texas House bill by Rep. Kitzman validates Austin County Municipal Utility District creation

Newly passed bill authored by State Rep. Stan Kitzman seeks to validate and confirm the creation and related acts of the Austin County Municipal Utility District No. 1, including past elections and approvals, while excluding contested actions, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 61 Democrats and 87 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 11 Democrats and 16 Republicans voted in favor, while four Republicans voted against it.

Stan Kitzman introduced the bill in the Texas House on Friday, March 14, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Kitzman graduated from Texas A&M University in 1988 with a BS.

Kitzman, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 85th House district, replacing previous state representative Phil Stephenson.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the validation of the creation of and certain acts of the Austin County Municipal Utility District No. 1’.

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

In essence, this bill validates and confirms the creation of the Austin County Municipal Utility District No. 1 and related acts, effective from their original occurrence dates. It specifically affirms actions of temporary directors within the past five years, including elections held on Nov. 2, 2021, for establishing the district, electing permanent directors, and approving bond issuance and ad valorem taxes. The bill excludes validation of actions under litigation or declared invalid by a court. It also confirms that the required legal notices and processes, including consultation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, have been fulfilled. The bill takes effect immediately upon a two-thirds vote in both houses or on Sept. 1, 2025, without such a vote.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 28, and was filed without the Governor’s signature on Friday, June 20.

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.