SRC-PNG S.B. 713 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 713 76R6905 WP-DBy: Ogden Finance 3/15/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, under Texas law, the county and road district highway fund receives approximately 5 percent of the revenues generated by the state's gasoline tax which are dedicated to transportation. This bill increases the statutory appropriation to the county and road district highway fund and adjusts the formula for their distribution. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 713 increases the statutory appropriation to the county and road district highway fund and adjusts the formula for their distribution. 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 Sections 256.002(b) and (c), Transportation Code, to require the appropriated money under Subsection (a) be allocated among the counties, with one-half according to rural population, determined by the ratio of the rural population of the county to the rural population of the state, rather than one-fifth according to area, determined by the ratio of the area of the county to the area of the state and two-fifths according to rural population, determined by the ratio of the rural population of the county to the rural population of the state, rather than one-fifth according to area, and one-half according to lateral road mileage, rather than two fifths. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Amends Section 256.003(a), Transportation Code, to authorize a county to use money received under Section 256.002 only for funding contracts for constructing and maintaining lateral roads, as provided by Chapter 262, Local Government Code, among other uses. SECTION 3. Amends Section 153.503, Tax Code, to require the comptroller, by a certain date, after making all deductions for refund purposes and for the amounts allocated under Sections 153.502 and 153.5025, to allocate the net remainder of the taxes collected under Subchapter B by certain percentages for certain state funds until the remaining one-fourth of the tax is required to be deposited to the credit of the county and road district highway fund until a total of $50 million, rather than $7.3 million, has been credited to the fund each fiscal year. SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 5. Emergency clause.