Bill > HB3322

This bill modifies the procedure for landowners seeking to be released from a water utility's certificate of public convenience and necessity (CCN), expanding the geographic eligibility for expedited release to include additional counties and county adjacencies. Specifically, the bill allows landowners with tracts of at least 25 acres that are not receiving water or sewer service to petition for release from a CCN in counties with populations over 1.2 million, adjacent to such counties, or in certain other specifically defined counties. The bill introduces a new provision that allows landowners submitting such a petition to negotiate with the certificate holder to pay or defease a federal loan associated with the utility, with the utility commission empowered to issue an order requiring the certificate holder to accept such a loan payment. The changes will only apply to proceedings commenced on or after the bill's effective date of September 1, 2025, ensuring that existing proceedings are not retroactively affected by the new law.