S.B. No. 1714 amends various sections of the Health and Safety Code and Government Code to enhance the provision of solid waste disposal services by certain counties in Texas. The bill allows commissioners courts to contract for solid waste services in areas within a municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction, provided the municipality does not offer such services. The criteria for counties eligible to provide these services have been updated to include those with populations over 1.5 million where at least 70% of the population resides in a single municipality, or those with populations under 1.3 million that contain a municipality with a population of 750,000 or more.

Additionally, the bill establishes a criminal offense for burning household refuse outdoors in specific unincorporated areas of counties that meet the outlined population criteria. It specifies that such an offense is applicable only if the county has a mandatory solid waste program in place. The changes in law will apply only to offenses committed after the bill's effective date, with prior offenses governed by the law in effect at the time of the offense. The bill is set to take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds vote from both houses or on September 1, 2025, if that vote is not achieved.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 791.037, Local Government Code 352.082 (Local Government Code 352, Government Code 791)