By:  Truan, Carona                                     S.B. No. 566

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to requiring the Texas Department of Transportation to

 1-2     conduct a study on the highway transportation needs of the state

 1-3     because of  increased international trade under the North American

 1-4     Free Trade Agreement.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  (a)  The Texas Department of Transportation

 1-7     shall conduct a study on the origin and destination of goods

 1-8     transported over highways in this state.  The department shall

 1-9     specifically study the increase in commercial traffic because of

1-10     the North American Free Trade Agreement and identify the highways

1-11     that need to be designated for construction, expansion, and

1-12     maintenance because of the increase in international trade.  The

1-13     department shall consider the costs necessary to accomplish the

1-14     highway improvements.  The department may base a portion of this

1-15     study on prior department studies if these studies provide

1-16     substantially accurate data and address a relevant or designated

1-17     issue for study in this Act.  The department, to reduce the overall

1-18     cost of this study, may enlist the services of available university

1-19     support to aid the department in its research, if it so chooses.

1-20           (b)  The department shall, not later than December 15, 1998,

1-21     file a written report with the lieutenant governor and the speaker

1-22     of the house of representatives detailing the results of the study

1-23     conducted under Subsection (a) of this section.

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

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

 2-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 2-6     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 2-7     passage, and it is so enacted.