From the Texas Tribune: In Major Water Case, Win for Ranchers is Loss For Cities

Water rights have always been a thing in Texas,and with depleted water tables peppered with the occasional drought, they're becoming more of a thing.

The interests of cities will not take precedence over the interests of farmers and ranchers.

- Click here for the story.

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday handed a victory to farmers, ranchers and other longstanding water rights holders by declining to take up a Brazos River case with widespread implications for future water battles in drought-prone Texas.

Denying a state petition for review, the justices left in place a lower court’s ruling that said Texas cannot give special treatment to cities or power generators over more “senior” water rights holders on parched rivers — even if the state declares it necessary to protect the “public health, safety and welfare.”

That means some cities, power generators or others with more “junior” river rights would need to pay up or go thirsty when severe drought strikes.

The Texas Farm Bureau, which challenged a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality policy giving cities preferential treatment in certain water skirmishes, hailed the Supreme Court’s decision to leave in place an April 2015 decision from the 13th Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi.

Let's take a look at the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission

It's one of the many ways to get an idea of the number of executive agencies that exist in the state and the degree of influence the legislative branch has over them. We also saw these listed in the Fiscal Size-Up. Agencies are automatically terminated unless they are reauthorized by the legislature under the advisement of the commission.

- Click here for their website.
- Wikipedia: Sunset Advisory Commission.
- Weaker Party: Sunset Review.

For detail: How Sunset Works.

These are the agencies that will be reviewed during the 2016-2017 cycle:

- Bar of Texas, State
- Central Colorado River Authority
- Chiropractic Examiners, Texas Board of
- Counselors, Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional
- Dental Examiners, State Board of
- Employees Retirement System of Texas, Board of Trustees of
- Law Examiners, Board of
- Marriage and Family Therapists, Texas State Board of Examiners of
- Medical Board, Texas
- Nursing, Texas Board of
- Occupational Therapy Examiners, Texas Board of
- Optometry Board, Texas
- Palo Duro River Authority
- Pharmacy, Texas State Board of
- Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners, Executive Council of
- Physical Therapy Examiners, Texas Board of
- Podiatric Medical Examiners, Texas State Board of
- Psychologists, Texas State Board of Examiners of
- Railroad Commission of Texas
- Social Worker Examiners, Texas State Board of
- Sulphur River Basin Authority
- Transportation, Texas Department of
- Upper Colorado River Authority
- Veterinary Medical Examiners, State Board of

Conveniently enough, the last sunset review looked at the Texas Department of State Health Services, which is the agency mentioned in the previous story about the birth certificates.

- Click here for their website.
- Click here for their review.
- Here is a direct link to the report.