SRC-PNG S.B. 157 76(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 157
76R3036 JD-FBy: Lindsay
Infrastructure
4/18/1999
As Filed


DIGEST 

In 1988, voters within the Houston metropolitan transit authority (METRO)
boundaries approved a referendum which required METRO to send back 25
percent of the sales tax it collected to the cities and the county within
its boundaries for "general mobility projects" (roads), in order to use the
funds more efficiently in building roads.  This bill would set into
statutory law the major provisions of the referendum. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 157 requires a portion of the sales and use tax revenue
collected by certain municipalities and counties to be used only for county
and municipal road and bridge purposes. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 451.065, Transportation Code, by adding
Subsections (g) and (h), as follows: 

 (g) Requires the board of an authority that imposes a sales and use tax to
distribute 25 percent  of the annual collected tax revenue to each
municipality and county located in the authority  by a certain date.
Requires the board to distribute the amount in consultation with the
municipalities and counties.  Authorizes the municipality or county to use
the money received  from the authority only for the performance of an
action described in Subsection (a) other  than road maintenance within the
territory of the authority.  Authorizes a municipality with  a population
of less than 1.2 million to contract with the county in which the
municipality  is located, or with the principal municipality of the
authority, for the design, acquisition of  necessary right-of-way, and
construction of a project.  Establishes that this subsection applies  only
to the board of an authority in which the principal municipality has a
population of more  than 1.2 million. 

 (h) Establishes that Subsection (g) does not apply if, in an election
called by the authority,  a majority of the votes approve the elimination
of the requirements set out in Subsection (g). 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: January 1, 2000.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.