HBA-RAR H.B. 675 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 675 By: Thompson Urban Affairs 2/19/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, Chapter 451 (Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authorities) and Chapter 452 (Regional Transportation Authorities), Transportation Code, authorize the creation of metropolitan transportation authorities (MTAs). MTAs have been created in seven urban areas of the state: Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The El Paso MTA is the only MTA that is not comprised of certain "units of election" in addition to the principal municipality. Of the remaining MTAs, all but the Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO) and Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority have provisions that allow units of election to withdraw from an MTA. The Harris County METRO includes 14 units of election. H.B. 675 provides units of election in the Harris County MTA with the ability to withdraw from the authority in accordance with Section 451.617, Transportation Code (Withdrawal: Alternative Method for Certain Authorities). 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 451.617, Transportation Code, as follows: Sec. 451.617. WITHDRAWAL: ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR CERTAIN AUTHORITIES. (a) Provides that in a rapid transit authority (authority) created before 1980 in which the principal municipality has a population of 750,000 or more, rather than less than 1.2 million, a unit of election, other than the principal municipality, is authorized to withdraw from the authority by a vote of the majority of the registered voters, in addition to any other manner provided by law. (e) Provides that Subsection (f) is an exception to the existing text. Makes a nonsubstantive change. (f) Prohibits an authority created before 1980 in which the principal municipality has a population greater than 1.6 million from holding an election under this section before the sixth anniversary of the most recent election held under this section. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.