1-1     By:  Finnell (Senate Sponsor - Cain)                  H.B. No. 3252

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1997;

 1-3     April 23, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 8, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 12, Nays 0; May 8, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to safety regulations for certain contract carriers.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Article 6675d, Revised Statutes, is amended by

1-11     adding Section 3A to read as follows:

1-12           Sec. 3A.  REGULATION OF CONTRACT CARRIERS OF CERTAIN

1-13     PASSENGERS.  (a)  This section applies only to a contract carrier

1-14     transporting the operating employees of a railroad on a road or

1-15     highway of this state in a vehicle designed to carry 15 or fewer

1-16     passengers.

1-17           (b)  The department shall adopt rules regulating the

1-18     operation of a contract carrier to which this section applies.  The

1-19     rules must include provisions that:

1-20                 (1)  prohibit a person from operating a vehicle for

1-21     more than 12 hours in a day;

1-22                 (2)  require a person that operates a vehicle for a

1-23     number of consecutive hours or days the department determines is

1-24     excessive to rest for a period determined by the department;

1-25                 (3)  require a contract carrier to keep a record of all

1-26     hours a vehicle subject to regulation under this section is

1-27     operated; and

1-28                 (4)  are determined by the department to be necessary

1-29     to protect the safety of the passengers being transported or the

1-30     general public.

1-31           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-32           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-33     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-34     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-35     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-36     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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