TWT H.B. 130 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS TRANSPORTATION H.B. 130 By: Pitts 4-25-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Texas law requires that a road maintained by a county have an engineering and traffic investigation conducted before a speed limit can be changed. Many county maintained roads never have an engineering and traffic investigation. If there has not been a engineering and traffic investigation conducted the legal speed limit falls under Section 545.352(b), Transportation Code. As a result most county roads have legal speed limits in excess of 50 mph. PURPOSE To give a commissioner's court of a county the authority to legally lower the speed limit of a road, without the conducting an engineering and traffic investigation. 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 Sec. 545.355(a), Transportation Code, to allow a county commissioners court, by a majority vote, to lower a speed limit on a a county road or highway if the commission determines that the prima facie speed limit is unreasonable or unsafe. SECTION 2. Emergency Clause - Effective upon passage.