HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 10

(By Delegates Skinner, Lane, McCuskey

              and Poore)

Amending the Rules of the House of Delegates, relating to requiring that a Water Impact Statement be attached to proposed legislation affecting water or water quality in the state.

    Resolved by the House of Delegates:

    That the Rules of the House of Delegates be amended by adding thereto a new rule as follows:

Water Impact Statement

    95c. Prior to consideration, by the House of Delegates or by any of its committees, of a bill that increases or decreases the amount or quality of water available to individual citizens, employers, the state or any of its political subdivisions or in any manner proposes to enact, amend or repeal a provision generally relating to water within the state, the bill shall have attached to it a Water Impact Statement. The statement must conform to the requirements of form and content as prescribed by the Water Impact Statement Manual prepared and adopted by the Committee on Rules.

    When required, it is the responsibility of the member introducing the bill to obtain the Water Impact Statement.

    This rule does not prohibit consideration of a bill where, in the opinion of the chair of the committee to which the bill has been referred or in the opinion of the Speaker, a reasonable amount of time has transpired between when a Water Impact Statement was requested and no statement, or an incomplete one, has been provided.

    The phrase “Water Impact Statement” or the initials “WIS” must be clearly stamped or endorsed on the jackets of all bills that have statements attached to them.

    No act is void or voidable for noncompliance with this rule.    This rule takes effect on January 1, 2015.  

    This rule is new; therefore, it has been completely underscored.