By Pickett                                             H.B. No. 739
         77R2152 MTB-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the membership of the Texas Transportation Commission.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Sections 201.051(a), (b), and (c), Transportation
 1-5     Code, are amended to read as follows:
 1-6           (a)  The Texas Transportation Commission consists of five
 1-7     [three] members appointed by the governor with the advice and
 1-8     consent of the senate.
 1-9           (b)  Appointments to the commission shall be made so that
1-10     separate members represent the following areas:
1-11                 (1)  the West Texas/Central Panhandle area, including
1-12     the districts of Amarillo, Lubbock, Childress, Abilene, Odessa, and
1-13     San Angelo established under Section 201.105;
1-14                 (2)  the North Texas area, including the districts of
1-15     Wichita Falls, Paris, Fort Worth, Dallas, Tyler, Lufkin, and
1-16     Atlanta established under Section 201.105;
1-17                 (3)  the Central Texas area, including the districts of
1-18     Brownwood, Waco, Bryan, Austin, and San Antonio established under
1-19     Section 201.105;
1-20                 (4)  the Gulf area, including the districts of Corpus
1-21     Christi, Yoakum, Houston, and Beaumont established under Section
1-22     201.105; and
1-23                 (5)  the Border area, including the districts of El
1-24     Paso, Laredo, and Pharr established under Section 201.105 [One
 2-1     member must reside in a rural area].
 2-2           (c)  For the purposes of Subsection (b), reference to a
 2-3     district established under Section 201.105 means the district as it
 2-4     existed on January 1, 2001 [Each member of the commission must
 2-5     represent the general public].
 2-6           SECTION 2.  Section 201.052, Transportation Code, is amended
 2-7     to read as follows:
 2-8           Sec. 201.052.  TERMS. Members of the commission serve
 2-9     staggered six-year terms, with the terms of either one or two
2-10     members [one member's term] expiring February 1 of each
2-11     odd-numbered year.
2-12           SECTION 3.  Promptly after this Act takes effect, the
2-13     governor shall appoint two additional members to the Texas
2-14     Transportation Commission.  Of those members, the governor shall
2-15     designate one to serve a term expiring February 1, 2005, and one to
2-16     serve a term expiring February 1, 2007.
2-17           SECTION 4.  The changes in law made by this Act in the
2-18     qualifications of members of the Texas Transportation Commission do
2-19     not affect the entitlement of a member serving on the commission
2-20     immediately before the effective date of this Act to continue to
2-21     carry out the commission's functions for the remainder of the
2-22     member's term.  The changes in law apply only to a member appointed
2-23     on or after the effective date of this Act.  This Act does not
2-24     prohibit a person who is a member of the commission on the
2-25     effective date of this Act from being reappointed to the commission
2-26     if the person has the qualifications required for a member under
2-27     Section 201.051, Transportation Code, as amended by this Act.
 3-1           SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 3-2     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 3-3     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 3-4     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
 3-5     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.