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House Bill 2944 |
House Author: Murphy |
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Effective: 9-1-07 |
Senate Sponsor: Whitmire |
House Bill 2944 amends provisions of the Transportation Code relating to state control of outdoor advertising along interstate and primary highways under the law commonly known as the Texas Highway Beautification Act and along all other highways in Texas that are located outside of the jurisdiction of a municipality under the law commonly known as the Rural Roads Act unless a municipality has filed a written notice with the Texas Department of Transportation to allow state regulation of signs in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. The bill's provisions affect a municipality with a population of more than 1.9 million that is exercising its authority to regulate outdoor advertising or off-premise signs within its jurisdiction. The bill amends the Texas Highway Beautification Act to authorize the Texas Transportation Commission to issue a permit for outdoor advertising within the jurisdiction of such a municipality only if the municipality has not acted to prohibit new outdoor advertising within its jurisdiction and has issued a permit authorizing the outdoor advertising. The bill amends the Rural Roads Act to prohibit the commission from issuing a permit for an off-premise sign within the jurisdiction of such a municipality if the municipality has acted to prohibit new off-premise signs within its jurisdiction. The bill's provisions do not apply to the required relocation of a sign due to the construction, reconstruction, or expansion of a highway.