By Jones of Dallas                              H.B. No. 3094

      75R7524 ESH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to state funding for transportation of public school

 1-3     students on routes with hazardous traffic conditions.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 42.155(d), Education Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           (d)  A district or county may apply for and on approval of

 1-8     the commissioner receive an additional amount of up to 10 percent

 1-9     of its regular transportation allotment to be used for the

1-10     transportation of children living within two miles of the school

1-11     they attend who would be subject to hazardous traffic conditions if

1-12     they walked to school.  Each board of trustees shall provide to the

1-13     commissioner the definition of hazardous conditions applicable to

1-14     that district and shall identify the specific hazardous areas for

1-15     which the allocation is requested.  A hazardous condition exists

1-16     where no walkway is provided and children must walk along or cross

1-17     a freeway or expressway, an underpass, an overpass or a bridge, an

1-18     uncontrolled major traffic artery, an industrial or commercial

1-19     area, or another comparable condition.  The commissioner may not

1-20     use the number of students transported or miles traveled for which

1-21     an additional allotment is made under this subsection in computing

1-22     the linear density of a transportation system.

1-23           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-24           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-1     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-2     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-3     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-4     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.