HCS SB 297 -- UTILITIES

SPONSOR:  Griesheimer (Jackson)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on
Communications, Energy, and Technology by a vote of 20 to 0.

This substitute requires any state agency that operates a
facility to allow residential and commercial customers to connect
to the facility's sewer line under certain circumstances.  The
line must not be in a state park or historic site or be connected
to a package sewage treatment plant or on-site sewage disposal
system.  Eligible customers must be located within the same sewer
district or municipal sewer system as the state facility.
Customers must hire an experienced engineer to demonstrate to the
Division of Design and Construction and to the operator of the
local sewer system that the system is capable of processing the
additional sewage.  If the connection is to a sewer line for a
school for the deaf, blind, or severely handicapped, the State
Board of Education must also approve.  Customers must pay for all
connection construction costs, maintenance costs in proportion to
the amount of sewage generated, and reasonable fees charged by
the agency.

The substitute also prohibits the City of Springfield from
selling electricity, gas, water, or sewer services to customers
outside the city limits at rates different from those charged
customers within the city.

FISCAL NOTE:  Not available at time of printing.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill will help both local
governments and individuals by allowing them to connect to
existing state-operated sewer lines.

Testifying for the bill was Senator Griesheimer.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Terry Finger, Senior Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated July 25, 2003 at 10:13 am