Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 342 amends the Transportation Code to authorize the Texas Department of Transportation to spend money from any available source to participate in the cost of the acquisition, construction, maintenance, or operation of a public or private toll facility on terms and conditions established by the Texas Transportation Commission. The bill provides that the commission may require the department to repay money the department spent in participating in the cost of a public or private toll facility, and it limits the money that may be spent by the department each federal fiscal year to not more than 30 percent of the obligation authority under the federal-aid highway program that is distributed to this state in that year. It provides that the Texas Turnpike Authority division of the department and a regional tollway authority may be required by the department to repay the money provided for a project from toll revenue or other sources established by the commission. Senate Bill 342 authorizes the Texas Turnpike Authority division of the department, or a successor agency, to enter into development agreements on four toll facility projects before March 1, 2004.

            Senate Bill 342 authorizes the commission to create a regional mobility authority and grant or loan funds for the purposes of constructing, maintaining, and operating a turnpike project in a region of this state, except in a county already part of a regional tollway authority or certain other related projects. The commission is authorized to convert a segment of the free state highway system to a turnpike project and transfer that segment to a regional mobility authority.

            Senate Bill 342 takes effect on the date the constitutional amendment proposed by Senate Joint Resolution 16 takes effect, and only if Senate Bill 4 is enacted and becomes law. If the amendment is not approved by the voters or if Senate Bill 4 does not become law, the bill has no effect. The bill provides that on the effective date of the bill, the board of directors of the Texas Turnpike Authority division of the department is abolished and all powers, duties, obligations, rights, contracts, leases, records, employees, and real or personal property of the board are transferred to the Texas Transportation Commission. All unspent and unobligated appropriations and other funds transferred to the commission as a result of the abolishment of the board are transferred to the Texas Mobility Fund on the effective date of Senate Bill 4.