Sec. 76.156. CIVIL PENALTY. (a) A person who violates a provision of this chapter administered by a regulatory agency other than the department or a rule adopted by a regulatory agency other than the department under this chapter is liable for a civil penalty of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000 for each day on which the violation occurs.
(b) A person who violates a provision of this chapter administered by the department or a rule adopted by the department under this chapter is liable for a civil penalty of not less than $50 nor more than $10,000 for each violation, provided that the penalty shall not exceed $25,000 for all violations related to a single incident.
(c) No civil penalty may be collected for any violation that constituted the basis for a department proceeding to assess an administrative penalty, regardless of whether the department was or was not successful in collecting the administrative penalty.
(d) A county attorney, a district attorney, or the attorney general shall sue in the name of the state for the collection of a civil penalty provided by this section.
(e) The appropriate regulatory agency may request an appropriate prosecuting attorney or the attorney general to bring suit under this section.
(f) A civil penalty collected under this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the General Revenue Fund. All civil penalties recovered in suits first instituted by a local government or governments under this section shall be equally divided between the State of Texas and the local government or governments with 50 percent of the recovery to be paid to the General Revenue Fund and the other 50 percent equally to the local government or governments first instituting the suit.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2591, ch. 693, Sec. 11, eff. Sept. 1, 1981. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 230, Sec. 102, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1369, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.