HBA-MSH C.S.H.B. 2263 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2263 By: Danburg Transportation 4/18/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Texas historical marker program provides information about historically significant sites, people, and events in Texas. The program has been used to promote tourism and interest in local and state history for almost 40 years. The Texas Historical Commission has recently led the effort to rehabilitate and catalogue the historical roadside markers throughout the state and to create a database of the markers. No state travel guide is published to disseminate this information to travelers. C.S.H.B. 2263 requires the Texas Department of Transportation in consultation with the Texas Historical Commission to publish a guide to roadside historical markers. 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 C.S.H.B. 2263 amends the Government Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in consultation with the Texas Historical Commission (commission) to publish a guide to historical markers along roadways in this state that includes a listing of the historical markers along roadways with identifying numbers assigned to each marker by TxDOT and a summary of the information on each marker. The bill requires TxDOT to erect and maintain if practicable signs informing users of the roadway of the marker and indicating the identifying number of the marker. The bill requires TxDOT to erect a sign approximately one mile preceding the historical marker if that placement is practicable. The bill requires TxDOT to use information from the commission's historical roadside marker restoration program and the state historical marker program in creating the guide to historical markers. The bill requires TxDOT to make the guide available to the public at a reasonable price determined by TxDOT. The bill provides that TxDOT is not required to replace or change a historical marker sign that was erected before the effective date of the bill except in the normal course of maintenance of the sign. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 2263 differs from the original by requiring the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to erect a sign approximately one mile preceding the historical marker if practicable rather than at or near the milepost along the roadway immediately preceding the historical marker in each direction. The substitute provides that TxDOT is only required to replace or change a historical marker erected before the effective date of the bill in the normal course of maintenance of the sign.