By Eiland                                             H.B. No. 3737
         76R9334 T                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the creation of the Port Regionalization and Megaport
 1-3     Advisory Committee.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  The Texas Department of Transportation shall
 1-6     establish the Port Regionalization and Megaport Advisory Committee
 1-7     for the purposes of studying the issues of port regionalization and
 1-8     the development of a megaport.
 1-9           SECTION 2.  (a)  The committee shall issue a report to the
1-10     77th Legislature detailing recommendations on whether a regional
1-11     port should be created and what its structure, powers and authority
1-12     would be.  The committee shall also address whether a megaport
1-13     should be developed, including where the megaport should be
1-14     developed if one is recommended, who will operate it and how it
1-15     will be built.
1-16           (b)  The committee shall contain the following members:
1-17                 (1)  the County Judges of Chambers County, Galveston
1-18     County, Harris County and Brazoria County;
1-19                 (2)  four members, each representing one of the
1-20     following ports in this state:
1-21                       (A)  Galveston
1-22                       (B)  Houston
1-23                       (C)  Texas City
1-24                       (D)  Freeport;
 2-1                 (3)  One member representing pilots selected from among
 2-2     the pilots of Galveston/Texas City, Houston and Freeport;
 2-3                 (4)  One member representing trucking interests,
 2-4     appointed by the Texas Railroad Commission;
 2-5                 (5)  One member representing railroad interests,
 2-6     appointed by the Texas Railroad Commission;
 2-7                 (6)  One member representing barge interests, appointed
 2-8     by the Texas Waterway Operators Association;
 2-9                 (7)  One member from the San Antonio area, appointed by
2-10     the Governor;
2-11                 (8)  One member from the Dallas area, appointed by the
2-12     Governor
2-13                 (9)  One member selected from the Galveston Bay
2-14     Foundation and the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation
2-15     Association.
2-16           SECTION 3.  The Port Regionalization and Megaport Advisory
2-17     Committee may work with the Port Authority Advisory Committee
2-18     established pursuant to Transportation Code, Section 53.001, for
2-19     the purposes of producing the report required in this act.
2-20           SECTION 4.  This act takes effect immediately.
2-21           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-25     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.