1-1     By:  Sibley                                           S.B. No. 1133

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 11, 1997; March 13, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;

 1-4     April 7, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 13,

 1-5     Nays 0; April 7, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the creation of an emergency telephone call box system

 1-9     for highway users in this state.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subtitle B, Title 6, Transportation Code, is

1-12     amended by adding Chapter 226 to read as follows:

1-13               CHAPTER 226.  EMERGENCY HIGHWAY CALL BOX SYSTEM

1-14           Sec. 226.001.  DEFINITION.  In this chapter, "emergency

1-15     response services" means:

1-16                 (1)  fire-fighting, law enforcement, or emergency

1-17     medical services that are provided by a public agency; or

1-18                 (2)  motorist assistance services.

1-19           Sec. 226.002.  APPLICABILITY; LIMITATION ON EXPENDITURES.

1-20     This chapter does not:

1-21                 (1)  apply to a segment of a highway that the

1-22     commission has designated as a farm-to-market or ranch-to-market

1-23     road; or

1-24                 (2)  authorize the department to make an expenditure of

1-25     money for the implementation, operation, or maintenance of the

1-26     emergency telephone call box system under this chapter that exceeds

1-27     the amount of money deposited to the credit of the state highway

1-28     fund under Section 502.185(d).

1-29           Sec. 226.003.  INSTALLATION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF

1-30     CALL BOX SYSTEM.  (a)  The department shall provide for the

1-31     installation, operation, and maintenance of a system of emergency

1-32     telephone call boxes along those highways in this state that are

1-33     part of the designated state highway system.

1-34           (b)  The system must:

1-35                 (1)  be designed to enable users of those highways to

1-36     communicate with providers of emergency response services; and

1-37                 (2)  include:

1-38                       (A)  wireline and wireless telecommunications

1-39     services; and

1-40                       (B)  one or more motorist assistance answering

1-41     centers.

1-42           Sec. 226.004.  DISTANCE BETWEEN CALL BOXES.  When the system

1-43     is fully implemented, the distance between two call boxes may not

1-44     exceed two miles, except as prohibited by roadway conditions.

1-45           Sec. 226.005.  EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CALL BOX SYSTEM COMMITTEE.

1-46     (a)  There is created an emergency telephone call box system

1-47     committee.  The committee is composed of the executive officers, or

1-48     the representatives of the executive officers, of:

1-49                 (1)  the Advisory Commission on State Emergency

1-50     Communications;

1-51                 (2)  the General Services Commission;

1-52                 (3)  the Texas Department of Health; and

1-53                 (4)  the Department of Public Safety.

1-54           (b)  The department shall consult with the committee in

1-55     determining the initial placement and spacing of the emergency

1-56     telephone call boxes.

1-57           (c)  The committee shall advise and assist the department in:

1-58                 (1)  the design, operation, and maintenance of the

1-59     system; and

1-60                 (2)  the development of specifications for each

1-61     contract to be awarded under this chapter.

1-62           Sec. 226.006.  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM ADVISORY COMMISSION

1-63     ON STATE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.  The Advisory Commission on

1-64     State Emergency Communications shall provide technical assistance

 2-1     to the department, including things necessary to support the proper

 2-2     routing of a call made to an emergency response services provider

 2-3     from an emergency telephone call box and any emergency response to

 2-4     that call.

 2-5           Sec. 226.007.  CONTRACTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND INSTALLATION

 2-6     OF CALL BOX SYSTEM.  (a)  The department shall:

 2-7                 (1)  award one or more contracts to implement the

 2-8     system not later than June 1, 1998;

 2-9                 (2)  require that installation of the system begin not

2-10     later than September 1, 1998; and

2-11                 (3)  implement the system in each area of the state

2-12     that has cellular telephone coverage not later than May 1, 2003.

2-13           (b)  A contract awarded under this chapter shall be awarded

2-14     by the department in the manner provided by Chapter 223.

2-15           (c)  The department may solicit proposals for and enter into

2-16     one or more lease-purchase agreements under this chapter.

2-17           Sec. 226.008.  INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION.  The Advisory

2-18     Commission on State Emergency Communications, agencies of this

2-19     state, and each county and municipality in this state shall

2-20     cooperate with the department in the design, establishment,

2-21     operation, and maintenance of the emergency telephone call box

2-22     system.

2-23           Sec. 226.009.  ANNUAL REPORTS.  (a)  Not later than November

2-24     1 of each year, the department shall file with the lieutenant

2-25     governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the

2-26     Legislative Budget Board a report on the activities under this

2-27     chapter during the preceding fiscal year.

2-28           (b)  The report may include the department's recommendations

2-29     for action by the legislature.

2-30           SECTION 2.  Subchapter D, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,

2-31     is amended by adding Section 502.185 to read as follows:

2-32           Sec. 502.185.  EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CALL BOX SYSTEM FEE.

2-33     (a)  When a person registers a vehicle under this chapter, except

2-34     as provided by Subsection (b), the person shall pay, in addition to

2-35     the registration fee, a fee of $1.

2-36           (b)  Subsection (a) does not apply to a vehicle that is owned

2-37     by and used exclusively in the service of the United States, this

2-38     state, or a political subdivision of this state.

2-39           (c)  The county assessor-collector shall send each $1 fee

2-40     collected under this section to the department before the 30th day

2-41     after the date it is collected.

2-42           (d)  Each $1 fee under this section that is collected by the

2-43     department or that is sent to the department shall be deposited to

2-44     the credit of a separate account in the state highway fund.  Except

2-45     as provided by Subsection (e), money in the account may be used

2-46     only for the purpose of implementing or administering the emergency

2-47     telephone call box system established by the department under

2-48     Chapter 226.

2-49           (e)  If the amount of money deposited to the credit of the

2-50     state highway fund under Subsection (d) is greater than the amount

2-51     of money necessary to design, implement, operate, and maintain the

2-52     emergency telephone call box system, the department may use the

2-53     surplus for any purpose for which money in that fund may be spent.

2-54           (f)  Section 403.095, Government Code, does not apply to

2-55     money deposited in the state highway fund under this section.

2-56           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.  Section

2-57     502.185, Transportation Code, as added by this Act, applies only to

2-58     a person who registers a vehicle in this state on or after that

2-59     date.

2-60           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-61     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-62     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-63     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-64     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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