Relating to rules providing for certification of issues to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in contested cases referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings by the commission.

HB 3249 requires the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) to jointly create rules for certifying specific environmental compliance issues to TCEQ during contested cases. The bill mandates that these rules define which issues qualify for certification (particularly those involving TCEQ's discretion) and establish a process for certifying disputes about discovery scope. This procedural change directly affects TCEQ staff, SOAH administrative law judges, and parties involved in environmental enforcement cases handled through administrative hearings. The rules aim to clarify when complex compliance judgments must be reviewed by TCEQ rather than SOAH.