HBA-DMH H.B. 2646 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2646
By: Capelo
Transportation
4/22/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) typically awards grants for
highway projects based on the volume of traffic in a specific area.
Communities that have small populations have a lower volume of traffic and
generally receive less funding than communities with larger populations or
higher traffic volumes. As a result, the smaller communities that make up
about one-third of Texas' population are at a disadvantage when applying
for funding from TxDOT.  Also, the North American Free Trade Agreement has
impacted smaller Texas communities by increasing the amount of traffic in
such communities.  House Bill 2646 requires TxDOT to set aside five percent
of all money appropriated to TxDOT for highway projects in municipalities
with a population of 50,000 or less.   

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 2646 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to set aside a minimum of five percent
of all money appropriated to TxDOT for highway projects. The bill requires
TxDOT to allocate the money only for highway projects in municipalities
with a population of 50,000 or less.  These provisions do not affect the
eligibility of a  municipality with a population of 50,000 or less to apply
for or receive money otherwise available to the municipality for highway
projects.  

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.