BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1830 By: Alexander 04-19-95 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND Current law, (Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes, Article 6701d) allows almost any vehicle to operate alternately flashing or rotating blue, red and/or white lighting. Because these lights are often identical to actual emergency vehicle lights, motorists are never certain that all vehicles with flashing lights are actually emergency vehicles. The use of such lights by private vehicles can lead other motorists to disregard them altogether, which can cause some motorists to disregard ambulances or fire trucks in emergency situations, especially at night. PURPOSE H.B. 1830 specifies which vehicles may display and operate flashing red and blue emergency lighting on public streets. This restriction will help ensure that only emergency vehicles may operate one or any combination of red, blue and white flashing or rotating lights on a public thoroughfare. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1: Amends V.T.C.S., Article 6701d, Section 124(c) and 124(d), Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways to clarify what vehicles may operate alternately flashing or rotating red, blue and white lighting. SECTION 2: Amends V.T.C.S., Article 6701d, Section 131(c) to allow vehicles equipped with red, blue and white alternately flashing or rotating lighting to display, but not operate said lighting equipment. SECTION 3: Effective Date: September 1, 1995. SECTION 4: Emergency Clause. EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS Committee Amendment #1 amends H.B. 1830 as follows: (1) On page 1, line 10, strike "or blue" and substitute "blue, amber, or white". (2) On page 1, line 18 strike "or white" SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION Pursuant to a public notice posted on April 7, 1995 at 5:04 p.m., the House Committee on Transportation met in a public hearing on Wednesday, April 12, 1995, at 2:00 p.m., or upon adjournment, in Room E1.014 of the Capitol Extension and was called to order at 3:58 p.m. by the Chair, Representative Clyde Alexander. The Chair laid out H.B. 1830 and recognized Representative Alexander to explain H.B. 1830. The Chair recognized the following person who testified but was neutral on H.B. 1830. Charles Graham, Texas Department of Public Safety. The Chair left H.B. 1830 pending before the Committee. Pursuant to a public notice posed on April 13, 1995 at 4:14 p.m., the House Committee on Transportation met in a public hearing on Wednesday, April 19, 1995 at 2:00 p.m., or upon adjournment, in Room E1.014 of the Capitol Extension and was called to order at 2:16 p.m. by the Chair, Representative Clyde Alexander. The Chair laid out H.B. 1830 by Alexander, which was pending before the Committee. Representative Siebert laid out Committee amendment #1 to H.B. 1830, and without objection, Committee amendment #1 was adopted. Representative Siebert moved that the committee report H.B. 1830, as amended, to the full House with the recommendation that it do pass. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Ayes (7), Nayes (0), Absent (2), Present not voting (0).