By Carter                                             H.B. No. 1437

         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1437:

         By Alexander                                      C.S.H.B. No. 1437

                                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.  Subtitle B, Title 6, Transportation Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Chapter 226 to read as follows:

 1-7               CHAPTER 226.  EMERGENCY HIGHWAY CALL BOX SYSTEM

 1-8           Sec. 226.001.  DEFINITION.  In this chapter, "emergency

 1-9     response services" means:

1-10                 (1)  firefighting, law enforcement, or emergency

1-11     medical services that are provided by a public agency; or

1-12                 (2)  motorist assistance services.

1-13           Sec. 226.002.  APPLICABILITY; LIMITATION ON EXPENDITURES.

1-14     This chapter does not:

1-15                 (1)  apply to a segment of a highway that the

1-16     commission has designated as a farm-to-market or ranch-to-market

1-17     road; or

1-18                 (2)  authorize the department to make an expenditure of

1-19     money for the implementation, operation, or maintenance of the

1-20     emergency telephone call box system under this chapter that exceeds

1-21     the amount of money deposited to the credit of the state highway

1-22     fund under Section 226.009.

1-23           Sec. 226.003.  INSTALLATION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF

1-24     CALL BOX SYSTEM.  (a)  The department shall provide for the

 2-1     installment, operation, and maintenance of a system of emergency

 2-2     telephone call boxes along those highways in this state that are

 2-3     part of the designated state highway system.

 2-4           (b)  The system must:

 2-5                 (1)  be designed to enable users of those highways to

 2-6     request emergency and nonemergency response services; and

 2-7                 (2)  include:

 2-8                       (A)  wired or wireless telecommunications

 2-9     services; and

2-10                       (B)  one or more motorist assistance answering

2-11     centers; and

2-12                 (3)  be capable of performing compatible Intelligent

2-13     Transportation Systems (ITS) functions.

2-14           (c)  To minimize call processing loads in public safety

2-15     answering points established under Chapter 771 or 772, Health and

2-16     Safety Code, the department shall, to the extent practical,

2-17     contract with a private entity to perform the functions of a

2-18     motorist assistance answering center under Section (b) (2) (B).

2-19           Sec. 226.004.  LOCATION OF AND DISTANCE BETWEEN CALL BOXES.

2-20     The location of the emergency call boxes shall be determined by the

2-21     department in accordance with the design specifications of the

2-22     system.

2-23           Sec. 226.005.  EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CALL BOX SYSTEM ADVISORY

2-24     COMMITTEE.  (a)  There is created an emergency telephone call box

2-25     system advisory committee.  The committee is composed of the

2-26     executive officers, or the representatives of the executive

2-27     officers, of:

 3-1                 (1)  the department;

 3-2                 (2)  the Advisory Commission on State Emergency

 3-3     Communications;

 3-4                 (3)  the General Services Commission;

 3-5                 (4)  the Texas Department of Health; and

 3-6                 (5)  the Department of Public Safety.

 3-7           (b)  Except for the authority provided by Sec. 226.006 of

 3-8     this chapter, the committee shall:

 3-9                 (1)  advise and assist in:

3-10                       (A)  the design, operation, and maintenance of

3-11     the system; and

3-12                       (B)  the development of specifications for each

3-13     contract to be awarded under this chapter.

3-14           Sec. 226.006.  OVERSIGHT BY ADVISORY COMMISSION ON STATE

3-15     EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.  (a)  The Advisory Commission on State

3-16     Emergency Communications shall:

3-17                 (1)  provide technical and management oversight to

3-18     support the proper routing of a call made to an emergency response

3-19     services provider from an emergency telephone call box and any

3-20     emergency response to that call; and

3-21                 (2)  coordinate the operation and maintenance of the

3-22     emergency response system through local councils of governments and

3-23     9-1-1 districts.

3-24           (b)  If the advisory commission establishes standards for

3-25     system performance, the standards must be applicable throughout the

3-26     state.

3-27           Sec. 226.007.  CONTRACTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND INSTALLATION

 4-1     OF CALL BOX SYSTEM.  (a)  The department shall:

 4-2                 (1)  award one or more contracts to implement the

 4-3     system not later than June 1, 1998;

 4-4                 (2)  require that installation of the system begin not

 4-5     later than September 1, 1998; and

 4-6                 (3)  implement the system in each area of the state

 4-7     that has cellular telephone coverage.

 4-8           (b)  A contract awarded under this chapter shall be awarded

 4-9     by the department in the manner provided by Chapter 223.

4-10           (c)  The department may solicit proposals for and enter into

4-11     one or more lease-purchase agreements under this chapter.

4-12           Sec. 226.008.  INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION.  (a)  The

4-13     Advisory Commission on State Emergency Communications, agencies of

4-14     this state, and each county and municipality in this state shall

4-15     cooperate in the design, establishment, operation, and maintenance

4-16     of the emergency telephone call box system.

4-17           (b)  Local government authorities shall support statewide

4-18     public relations efforts with local media.

4-19           Sec. 226.009.  FEE; OTHER REVENUE.  (a)  In this section,

4-20     "insurer" and "motor vehicle years of insurance" have the meanings

4-21     assigned those terms by Section 10(a), Article 4413(37), Revised

4-22     Statutes.

4-23           (b)  Not later than March 1 of each year, each insurer shall

4-24     pay to the comptroller a fee in an amount equal to $1 multiplied by

4-25     the total number of motor vehicle years of insurance for insurance

4-26     policies delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed by the insurer

4-27     during the preceding calendar year.  The amount paid to the

 5-1     comptroller on March 1, 1998 shall only be the total collected from

 5-2     applicable policies issued after the effective date of this act.

 5-3           (c)  The fee imposed by this section is in addition to any

 5-4     other fee or tax imposed by law on an insurer.

 5-5           (d)  The fee imposed by this section shall not be reflected

 5-6     as an additional line item on the insured's invoice.

 5-7           (e)  The comptroller shall notify the Texas Department of

 5-8     Insurance of each insurer that fails to pay the fee imposed by this

 5-9     section.  The department of insurance may revoke the certificate of

5-10     authority of an insurer who fails to pay the fee.

5-11           (f)  Each fee under this section that is received by the

5-12     comptroller shall be deposited to the credit of a separate account

5-13     in the state highway fund.  Money in the account, including any

5-14     interest accrued, may be used only for the purpose of implementing,

5-15     operating, maintaining, upgrading, or administering the emergency

5-16     telephone call box system established under this chapter.

5-17           (g)  If the department, the emergency telephone call box

5-18     system advisory committee, the Advisory Commission on State

5-19     Emergency Communications, or another agency or department of this

5-20     state derives any revenue from the operation or maintenance of the

5-21     emergency telephone call box system, the revenue must be sent to

5-22     the comptroller for deposit in the separate account as provided by

5-23     Subsection (f).

5-24           (h)  Section 403.095, Government Code, does not apply to

5-25     money deposited to the credit of the state highway fund under this

5-26     section.

5-27           Sec. 226.010.  ANNUAL REPORTS.  (a)  not later than November

 6-1     1 of each year, the department shall file with the lieutenant

 6-2     governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the

 6-3     Legislative Budget Board a report on the activities under this

 6-4     chapter during the preceding fiscal year.

 6-5           (b)  The report may include the department's recommendations

 6-6     for action by the legislature.

 6-7           Sec. 226.011.  APPLICATION OF SUNSET ACT.  The Emergency

 6-8     Telephone Call Box System and the provisions of this act are

 6-9     subject to Chapter 325, Government Code (Texas Sunset Act).  Unless

6-10     continued in existence as provided by that chapter, the advisory

6-11     committee is abolished and the act expires on September 1, 2007.

6-12           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

6-13           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

6-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

6-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

6-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

6-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.