HBA-NIK H.B. 2733 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2733 By: Keffer Civil Practices 4/19/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, many people in low-income jobs have only one car in a family and, in many instances, that one car is in need of maintenance and is unreliable. Costs associated with owning an automobile can become a major expenditure for a family. Volunteers, charitable organizations, and faith-based organizations like local churches often find that they cannot provide for the transportation of people dependent on public transportation because the liability insurance required is too great a burden for the private organization to pursue such endeavors. H.B. 2733 allows a volunteer, a charitable or faith-based organization, or other private persons or companies who desire to help in the transport of people in need of transportation, to do so under less costly liability insurance limits as to the transportation it provides when contracted to a local public transportation agency. 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 101.001(3), Civil Practice and Remedies Code, to redefine "governmental unit" to include a public transportation entity operating under Subtitle K (Mass Transportation), Title 6 (Roadways), Transportation Code. SECTION 2. Amends Section 101.023, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, by adding Subsection (e), to provide that liability of a private entity, including a faith-based or charitable organization, that provides transportation services under a contract with a public transportation entity operating under Subtitle K (Mass Transportation), Title 6, Transportation Code, is limited to money damages in a maximum amount of $100,000 for each person and $300,000 for each single occurrence for bodily injury or death and $100,000 for each single occurrence for injury to or destruction of property. SECTION 3. Amends Section 451.069, Transportation Code, to provide that the liability of a private entity that provides transportation services under a contract with an authority is limited as provided by Section 101.023(e) (Limitation on Amount of Liability), Civil Practice and Remedies Code. SECTION 4. Amends Section 453.109, Transportation Code, by adding Subsection (c), to provide that the liability of a private entity that provides transportation services under a contract with a transit department is limited as provided by Section 101.023(e), Civil Practice and Remedies Code. SECTION 5. Amends Section 457.108, Transportation Code, by adding Subsection (c), to make a conforming change. SECTION 6. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 7. Emergency clause.