HBA-CMT, JLV H.B. 1304 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1304 By: Gray County Affairs 4/8/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act was established for the purpose of preventing deterioration of Texas beaches. Gulf Shore counties need support in their front line efforts to preserve Texas Beaches. The regulation of shorelines offers an important means for protecting the welfare of the beaches and the public. House Bill 1304 gives the commissioner's courts of counties bordering the Gulf of Mexico or its tidewater limits the authorization to prohibit driving on natural or man-made sand dunes or other structures created for shoreline protection. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 1304 amends the Natural Resources Code to authorize the commissioners court of a county bordering on the Gulf of Mexico or its tidewater limits to prohibit motor vehicle traffic on any natural or man-made sand dune or other form of shoreline protection. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.