HBA-MSH H.B. 1679 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1679 By: Bosse Transportation 7/25/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Vehicle weight restrictions apply on public highways outside a city and on state-maintained highways within cities. An operator is required to obtain a permit before exceeding these restrictions. Prior to the 77th Legislature, a tow truck operator removing a heavy vehicle from the scene of an accident at the behest of a city police officer could have been issued a citation by a county or state law enforcement officer for exceeding the weight restrictions. House Bill 1679 exempts a tow truck operator from the permit requirement if the operator is removing a vehicle from the scene of an accident and towing the vehicle to the nearest place of repair, terminal, or storage. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 1679 amends the Transportation Code to provide that tow truck operators are not required to obtain a permit to exceed vehicle load weight limitations if the tow truck provides services necessary to remove disabled, abandoned, or accident-damaged vehicles and is towing another vehicle or vehicle combination directly to the nearest authorized place of repair, terminal, or vehicle storage facility. The bill does not authorize a person to operate a vehicle that exceeds federal weight limits on the national system of interstate and defense highways in Texas. EFFECTIVE DATE May 16, 2001.