HBA-MPA H.B. 1672 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1672
By: Hill
Transportation
4/4/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, exclusive authorization for disposal of motor vehicles is
provided to motor vehicle demolishers.  Cities are allowed to dispose of
motor vehicles by sending them to a demolisher only if the abandoned motor
vehicle is totally inoperable.  If a city has possession of an abandoned
vehicle which does not meet qualified emission standards, but is classified
as operable under the law, the city must sell it at auction.  Selling high
emission vehicles at auction runs the risk of putting these vehicles back
on the street, and thus worsening urban air quality. 

According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, 10 percent of
the vehicles currently running cause 50 percent of vehicle-produced
pollution.  The majority of these high pollution vehicles are 1979 and
older models that do not have efficient combustion technologies developed
since 1985.  In fact, 1970-1979 model vehicles emit 5.6-10.7 more
grams/mile of Volitile Organic Compounds emissions than 1985-1987 model
vehicles.  Even vehicles manufactured after 1979 can cause significant air
pollution from emission systems that have failed.  One way to significantly
decrease vehicle pollution and increase air quality is to reduce the number
of high emission vehicles running on Texas roads.  H.B. 1672 grants
municipalities the authority to have abandoned motor vehicles that are more
than eight years old and do not meet current emission standards demolished,
regardless of operable nature. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 683.051, Transportation Code, to authorize a
person to apply to the Texas Department of Transportation for authority to
dispose of a motor vehicle to a demolisher if the abandoned vehicle does
not comply with all applicable air pollution emissions control related
requirements including a vehicle inspection certificate affixed to the
vehicle windshield, or the vehicle emission inspection and maintenance
requirements under Chapter 548 (Compulsory Inspection of Vehicles),
Transportation Code.  Deletes the provision that a person may apply for
authority to dispose of a motor vehicle that has no motor or is otherwise
inoperable. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 683.054(b), Transportation Code, to make
conforming and nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause.