SRC-JXG S.B. 844 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterS.B. 844 By: Carona Intergovernmental Relations 7/6/1999 Enrolled DIGEST Currently, Texas law allows cities with a population in excess of 100,000 to enforce weight standards on motor vehicles inside city limits. However, there are numerous cities with populations less than 100,000, which have high volumes of motor vehicles on the roadways. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is unable to effectively provide enforcement for these areas. S.B. 844 will authorize cities with populations of 100,000 or 74,000 in a county with a population of more than 1.5 million to enforce weight and safety standards for motor vehicles inside city limits. PURPOSE As enrolled, S.B. 844 sets forth motor vehicle weight standards for cities with certain populations. 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 621.401, Transportation Code, to redefine "weight enforcement officer." Deletes text regarding Section 6, Article 6675d, Revised Statutes. SECTION 2. Amends Section 621.408, Transportation Code, to provide that except for the authority granted to a port-of-entry supervisor or inspector by Section 621.409, weight enforcement officers have exclusive authority to enforce this subchapter in any area of this state other than in the territory of a municipality with a population of more than 100,000, or 74,000 in a county with a population of more than 1.5 million. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.