SB 2692: bill rewriting the petition rule for water rate appeals

Caption

relating to the eligibility of ratepayers to file an appeal regarding water, drainage, or sewer rates with the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Changes how many customers must sign to appeal to the PUC.

The bill rewrites the rule for how many water, drainage, or sewer customers must sign a petition to appeal a rate change to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. A petition can be signed by the lesser of 10,000 or 10 percent of all affected ratepayers, or by 10 percent of the ratepayers in a single customer class whose rates changed. This gives one group of customers, such as one class of users, a path to challenge a rate hike without rounding up signatures from every affected ratepayer.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on Apr 28, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Natural Resources committee 7-2, no floor vote.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2692 · 2025-03-13

SOLD BY

Sen. Kelly HancockRSenate 9

ITEM

relating to the eligibility of ratepayers to file an appeal regarding water, drainage, or sewer rates with the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

WHAT IT DOES

Changes how many customers must sign to appeal to the PUC.

The bill rewrites the rule for how many water, drainage, or sewer customers must sign a petition to appeal a rate change to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. A petition can be signed by the lesser of 10,000 or 10 percent of all affected ratepayers, or by 10 percent of the ratepayers in a single customer class whose rates changed. This gives one group of customers, such as one class of users, a path to challenge a rate hike without rounding up signatures from every affected ratepayer.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

Net to General Revenue · FY 2026($600,389)

LBB estimate, flow · fiscal note version S · ( ) = negative · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 16, 2025

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB2692, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($1,200,778) through the biennium ending August 31, 2027. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

First year · FY 2026 · ($600,389)

Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Mar 13, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Mar 13, 2025Filed
Apr 3, 2025Read first time
Apr 3, 2025Referred to Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs
Apr 14, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 14, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 14, 2025Testimony taken in committee
Apr 14, 2025Vote taken in committee
Apr 16, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
Apr 16, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
Apr 23, 2025Placed on intent calendar
Apr 28, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
Apr 28, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
Apr 28, 2025Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
Apr 28, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
Apr 28, 2025Three day rule suspended
Apr 28, 2025Record vote
Apr 28, 2025Read 3rd time
Apr 28, 2025Passed
Apr 28, 2025Record vote
Apr 28, 2025Reported engrossed
Apr 29, 2025Received from the Senate
Apr 30, 2025Read first time
Apr 30, 2025Referred to Natural Resources
May 7, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
May 7, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 7, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
May 7, 2025Left pending in committee
May 15, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 15, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 22, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 22, 2025Committee report distributed
May 23, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 25, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 27, 2025Placed on General State Calendar

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 29 yea · 2 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · Apr 28, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Kelly Hancock

Donors

Stephen Brauer JR$57,791

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$14,750

Q Political Action Committee$12,500

Top donors to Texans for Kelly Hancock SPAC during his Senate service. Not tied to this bill.

Sources

Gifts to Texans for Kelly Hancock SPAC dated July 1, 2024 to June 18, 2025, while he served in the Senate.

Derived from itemized gifts. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes3

Senate Apr 28, 2025

Yea: 29
Nay: 2
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 29 (published)
Nay: 2 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 28, 2025

Yea: 29
Nay: 2
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Hancock moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2692 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 29 (published)
Nay: 2 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 28, 2025

Yea: Not printed
Nay: Not printed
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

J. HinojosaNay
EckhardtNay

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

Senator Hancock moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 2692 at this time on its second reading: CSSB 2692, Relating to the filing of an appeal regarding certain water, drainage, or sewer rates with the Public Utility Commission of Texas. The motion prevailed. Senators Eckhardt and J. Hinojosa asked to be recorded as voting "Nay" on suspension of the regular order of business. The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: Not printed
Nay: Not printed
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses19

For: 11
Against: 6
On: 2

Names

For

Texas Association of Business2 registrations
Texas Association of Manufacturers2 registrations
Texas Chemistry Council1 registration
Texas Oil and Gas Association2 registrations
Valero1 registration
Valero Energy3 registrations

Against

City of Corpus Christi4 registrations
City of Georgetown2 registrations

On

Public Utility Commission of Texas2 registrations

Sources

19 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

Net to General Revenue · FY 2026($600,389)

LBB estimate, flow · fiscal note version S · ( ) = negative · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 16, 2025

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB2692, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($1,200,778) through the biennium ending August 31, 2027. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

First year · FY 2026 · ($600,389)

Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 13, 2025

05/27/2025 H Placed on General State Calendar

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Companion

HB 5197 by Bell, Cecil (identical)

Subjects

Consumer Protection

Utilities--Water & Sewer

WATER & SEWER SERVICE

PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION

Text

The text as introduced · 232 words

2025S0227-1 03/12/25

By: Hancock
S.B. No. 2692

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the eligibility of ratepayers to file an appeal

regarding water, drainage, or sewer rates with the Public Utility

Commission of Texas.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 13.043(c), Water Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(c) An appeal under Subsection (b) must be initiated by

filing a petition for review with the utility commission and the

entity providing service within 90 days after the effective day of

the rate change or, if appealing under Subdivision (b)(2) or (5),

within 90 days after the date on which the governing body of the

municipality or affected county makes a final decision. The

petition must be signed by either:

(1) the lesser of 10,000 or 10 percent of those

ratepayers whose rates have been changed and who are eligible to

appeal under Subsection (b) ; or

(2) 10 percent of ratepayers in a customer class whose

rates have been changed and who are eligible to appeal under

Subsection (b) .

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Senate Apr 28, 2025

Senate Apr 28, 2025

Senate Apr 28, 2025

For

Against

On

Companion