By Carter H.B. No. 1954 74R4004 JD-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the creation of an emergency telephone call box system 1-3 for highway users in this state. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Title 116, Revised Statutes, is amended by adding 1-6 Article 6673l to read as follows: 1-7 Art. 6673l. EMERGENCY HIGHWAY TELEPHONE CALL BOX SYSTEM. 1-8 (a) The Texas Department of Transportation shall establish a 1-9 program to install, operate, and maintain a system of telephone 1-10 emergency call boxes along those highways in this state that are 1-11 numbered United States highways, part of the national system of 1-12 interstate and defense highways, or numbered state highways, that 1-13 is designed to enable users of those highways to communicate with 1-14 providers of emergency services. 1-15 (b) The department may take any action to implement the 1-16 emergency call box program that the department determines to be 1-17 necessary or advisable and may contract for any equipment or 1-18 service that is required to implement the communication system 1-19 under the program. 1-20 (c) The department shall select or approve the telephone 1-21 call boxes and other equipment and the communication provider 1-22 services that are necessary for the system. The department shall 1-23 determine the placement and spacing of the telephone call boxes. 1-24 When the program has been fully implemented, the distance between 2-1 two call boxes should not be more than two miles. 2-2 (d) Each other agency of this state and each county and 2-3 municipality in this state shall cooperate with the department in 2-4 the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the emergency call 2-5 box program. 2-6 (e) The department shall establish the emergency call box 2-7 program required by this article not later than January 1, 1996. 2-8 (f) Not later than November 1 of each year, the department 2-9 shall file with the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house 2-10 of representatives, and the Legislative Budget Board a report on 2-11 the department's activities under this article during the preceding 2-12 fiscal year. 2-13 SECTION 2. Chapter 88, General Laws, Acts of the 41st 2-14 Legislature, 2nd Called Session, 1929 (Article 6675a-1 et seq., 2-15 Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by adding Section 17B to 2-16 read as follows: 2-17 Sec. 17B. (a) When a person registers a vehicle under this 2-18 Act, except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, the 2-19 person shall pay an additional registration fee of $1. 2-20 (b) Subsection (a) of this section does not apply to a 2-21 vehicle that is owned by and used exclusively in the service of the 2-22 United States, this state, or a county or municipality of this 2-23 state. 2-24 (c) The county tax collector shall send each fee collected 2-25 under this section to the Department before the 30th day after the 2-26 date it is collected. 2-27 (d) Each fee under this section that is collected by the 3-1 Department or that is sent to the Department shall be deposited to 3-2 the credit of a separate account in the state highway fund. Money 3-3 in the account may be used only for the purpose of implementing or 3-4 administering the emergency telephone call box program established 3-5 by the Department under Article 6673l, Revised Statutes. 3-6 (e) Sections 403.094 and 403.095, Government Code, do not 3-7 apply to money deposited in the state highway fund under this 3-8 section. 3-9 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995. The 3-10 change in law made by Section 2 of this Act applies only to a 3-11 person who registers a vehicle in this state on or after that date. 3-12 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 3-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.