🟡Relating to the procedure for resolving certain customer complaints before the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

🟡 SB 790: Faster Tenant Billing Complaints, But Fewer Safeguards

What it says it does:
SB 790 lets the Public Utility Commission (PUC) create a faster and simpler way to handle complaints from tenants about water or wastewater bills in multi-tenant properties. It is described as a way to make the process more efficient and less burdensome.

What it actually changes:
It removes these disputes from the state’s Administrative Procedure Act, meaning they will no longer follow the same formal process used for most administrative cases. Instead, the PUC can make its own rules for how these complaints are filed, reviewed, and resolved. The bill does not add funding or new oversight to support the change.

Who is pushing for it:
Support in the files came from the Texas Apartment Association, Texas Realtors, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, and the Association of Electric Companies of Texas. The PUC was neutral but present on the witness list.

Who benefits:
Large property owners and management companies gain faster resolution of billing disputes with fewer procedural hurdles. The PUC gains more control over its internal complaint-handling process, which could reduce case backlogs and administrative costs.

Who gets left out or exposed:
Tenants who rely on formal notice, a clear hearing record, or an appeal path could lose those protections if they are not recreated by PUC rule. Smaller property owners may also face uneven results if new rules are unclear or inconsistently applied.

Why this matters long term:
This bill sets a precedent for carving specific consumer complaints out of established due-process frameworks. Once one type of dispute is removed from formal protections, it becomes easier to repeat that model for other sectors, such as electric or telecom complaints.

What to watch next:
The fairness of the process will depend on how the PUC writes its rules. Texans should watch whether the agency includes clear notice, access to evidence, a defined appeal step, and public reporting of outcomes.

Bottom line:
SB 790 could speed up tenant complaint resolution, but it does so by trading away procedural safeguards that protect both tenants and property owners. Without new transparency or accountability rules, this fix for slow complaints could become a quiet erosion of due process.

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