HBA-ALS H.B. 2463 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2463
By: Alexander
Transportation
4/6/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, the Texas Transportation Commission (commission) may
enter into agreements with a county or a municipality to make improvements
to portions of the state highway system. However, there is no statutory
provision which allows the commission to enter into these types of
agreements with regional tollway authorities. H.B. 2463 grants the
commission the authority to enter into similar agreements with regional
tollway authorities. 

Currently, there is no statutory provision granting the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) the authority to enter into agreements with regional
tollway authorities to provide services, such as courtesy patrols, on
regional tollway authority projects, even though providing these services
may be more efficient than the regional authorities providing such services
with their own personnel. H.B. 2463 allows TxDOT to enter into agreements
to provide such services to regional tollway authorities for fair and
reasonable consideration.  In addition, this bill authorizes certain
regional tollway authorities to alter the prima facie speed limit
authority-maintained turnpikes. 

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 Subchapter C, Chapter 201, Transportation Code, by
adding Section 201.113, as follows: 

Sec. 201.113. AGREEMENTS WITH REGIONAL TOLLWAY AUTHORITIES. Authorizes the
Texas Transportation Commission (commission) to enter into an agreement
with a regional tollway authority governed under Chapter 366 (Regional
Tollway Authorities) for the improvement by the tollway authority of a
portion of the state highway system, notwithstanding Sections 221.003
(Improvement of State Highway System) and 224.031(Duty of Department),
Transportation Code.  Defines "improvement."   

SECTION 2.  Amends Subchapter I, Chapter 201, Transportation Code, by
adding Section 201.707, as follows: 

Sec. 201.707. AGREEMENTS FOR SERVICES WITH REGIONAL TOLLWAY AUTHORITIES.
Authorizes the department to enter into an agreement with a regional
tollway authority governed by Chapter 366, under which the department,
provides services, including courtesy patrols, on a turnpike project of the
tollway authority for fair and reasonable compensation, notwithstanding
Section 201.703(c) (relating to the expenditure of state money for roads
not on the state highway system). 

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 545.354, Transportation Code, as follows:

Sec. 545.354.  New title: AUTHORITY TO ALTER SPEED LIMITS ON TURNPIKE
PROJECTS.  Deletes "of Texas Turnpike Authority" from existing title. 

 SECTION 4.  Amends Section 545.354, Transportation Code, by adding
Subsection (h), as follows: 

(h)  Authorizes a regional tollway authority governed by Chapter 366 to
alter a prima facie speed limit on a turnpike that it maintains in the same
manner as the Texas Turnpike Authority under this section.  

SECTION 5.Effective date: September 1, 1999. 

SECTION 6.Emergency clause.