HBA-MPM, KMH H.B. 2004 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2004
By: Pickett
Transportation
8/11/1999
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Prior to the 76th Legislature, the Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) did not have the authority to lease additional registration and
titling system workstations to counties.  These workstations were allocated
by TxDOT based on the number of transactions a county handles in a month.
Once a county exceeded a certain number of transactions it was allocated
another workstation.   H.B. 2004 authorizes TxDOT to lease additional
workstations to counties for an amount equal to the cost to TxDOT to make
them available. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 520, Transportation Code, by
adding Section 520.002, as follows: 

Sec. 520.002.  LEASE OF ADDITIONAL COMPUTER EQUIPMENT.  (a)  Makes this
section applicable only to the lease of equipment to a county for the
operation of automated registration and title system in addition to
equipment provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) at no
cost to the county under a TxDOT-prescribed formula. 

(b) Authorizes TxDOT to enter into an agreement with the commissioners
court of that county under which TxDOT leases additional equipment to the
county for the use of the tax assessor-collector in operating the automated
registration and title system in that county on request of the tax
assessor-collector. 

(c) Authorizes a county to install equipment leased under this section at
offices of the county or of an agent of the county. 

(d) Provides that equipment leased under this section remains the property
of TxDOT and must be used primarily for the automated registration and
title system. 

(e) Requires TxDOT to charge the county an amount not less than the amount
of the cost to TxDOT to provide the additional equipment and any related
services under the lease. Requires all money collected under the lease to
be deposited to the credit of the state highway fund. 

SECTION 2.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.