1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the authority of the commissioners court of a county to

 1-3     alter speed limits on county roads.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 545.355(a), Transportation Code, is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (a)  The commissioners court of a county, for a county road

 1-8     or highway outside the limits of the right-of-way of an officially

 1-9     designated or marked highway or road of the state highway system

1-10     and outside a municipality, has the same authority to increase

1-11     [alter] prima facie speed limits from the results of an engineering

1-12     and traffic investigation as the Texas Transportation Commission on

1-13     an officially designated or marked highway of the state highway

1-14     system, and may declare a lower speed limit of not less than 30

1-15     miles per hour on a county road or highway to which this section

1-16     applies, if the commissioners court determines that the prima facie

1-17     speed limit on the road or highway is unreasonable or unsafe.  The

1-18     commissioners court may not modify the rule established by Section

1-19     545.351(a) or establish a speed limit of more than 60 miles per

1-20     hour.

1-21           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 2-2     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 2-3     passage, and it is so enacted.

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I certify that H.B. No. 130 was passed by the House on May

         10, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 140, Nays 0, 2 present, not

         voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.

         No. 130 on May 24, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 140, Nays 0,

         1 present, not voting.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

               I certify that H.B. No. 130 was passed by the Senate, with

         amendments, on May 22, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays

         0.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

         APPROVED:  _____________________

                            Date

                    _____________________

                          Governor