By Shapleigh                                           S.B. No. 508
         77R4031 JMG-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to establishing task forces in certain border communities
 1-3     to study impediments to trade in the border region.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  DEFINITIONS. In this Act:
 1-6                 (1)  "Border region" means the area composed of the
 1-7     counties of Brewster, Cameron, Culberson, Dimmit, El Paso, Hidalgo,
 1-8     Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Presidio, Starr,
 1-9     Terrell, Val Verde, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, and Zavala.
1-10                 (2)  "Task force" means a border community trade task
1-11     force established under this Act.
1-12           SECTION 2.  BORDER COMMUNITY TRADE TASK FORCE. The lieutenant
1-13     governor and speaker of the house of representatives shall
1-14     establish a border community trade task force for each of the four
1-15     municipalities with the largest populations in the border region to
1-16     identify procedural and infrastructure impediments to the free flow
1-17     of trade between the United States and Mexico along the border
1-18     region and make findings and recommendations as considered
1-19     appropriate regarding those trade impediments.
1-20           SECTION 3.  MEMBERSHIP; OFFICERS. (a)  As soon as practicable
1-21     after the effective date of this Act, the speaker of the house of
1-22     representatives and lieutenant governor jointly shall appoint not
1-23     more than 25 members to serve on each task force.
1-24           (b)  Each task force must include:
 2-1                 (1)  one person representing each agency of the United
 2-2     States with jurisdiction over international trade, international
 2-3     commerce, or transportation issues;
 2-4                 (2)  one person representing each governmental agency
 2-5     of Mexico;
 2-6                 (3)  one person representing the Texas Department of
 2-7     Transportation;
 2-8                 (4)  one person representing the Department of Public
 2-9     Safety;
2-10                 (5)  one person representing the interests of local
2-11     customs brokers;
2-12                 (6)  one person representing the interests of freight
2-13     forwarders;
2-14                 (7)  one person representing the interests of motor
2-15     carriers;
2-16                 (8)  one person representing the interests of drayage
2-17     carriers; and
2-18                 (9)  one person representing the local maquiladora
2-19     industry.
2-20           (c)  The speaker of the house of representatives and
2-21     lieutenant governor shall jointly select the presiding officer of
2-22     each task force from among the task force members. A task force may
2-23     designate other officers as the task force considers appropriate.
2-24           SECTION 4.  ASSISTANCE; EXPENSES. (a)  Each task force may
2-25     request  assistance  and  information, other than confidential
2-26     information relating to an individual, from the Department of
2-27     Public Safety and the Texas Department of Transportation.  The
 3-1     departments shall provide the assistance and information requested
 3-2     to the extent practicable.
 3-3           (b)  The expenses of each task force, including the
 3-4     compensation of necessary staff, may be paid from any appropriate
 3-5     funds of the house of representatives and the senate. The
 3-6     legislature may appropriate money for the support of each task
 3-7     force.
 3-8           SECTION 5.  TASK FORCE DUTIES. (a)  Each task force shall
 3-9     study and evaluate the procedures and practices maintained at the
3-10     port of entry between Texas and Mexico nearest to the municipality
3-11     represented by the task force to determine what modifications could
3-12     be made to expedite the flow of trade from Mexico, including:
3-13                 (1)  identifying the cause of traffic congestion at the
3-14     border crossing from Mexico;
3-15                 (2)  reviewing customs brokers practices, including the
3-16     batch release process;
3-17                 (3)  reviewing the drayage business and drayage
3-18     concerns;
3-19                 (4)  reviewing  and considering the standardization of
3-20     the hours of operation for financial institutions, customs brokers,
3-21     United States Customs Service offices, and maquiladoras along the
3-22     Texas-Mexico border;
3-23                 (5)  determining the feasibility of establishing a
3-24     program authorizing the Department of Public Safety officers or
3-25     inspectors certified by the department to conduct commercial
3-26     vehicle and driver safety inspections in Mexico;
3-27                 (6)  reviewing United States Customs Service practices
 4-1     to determine what procedures and processes need to be changed to
 4-2     permit a precleared Mexican commercial vehicle to bypass the
 4-3     primary customs inspection point;
 4-4                 (7)  determining the feasibility of interagency
 4-5     agreements that would allow a state agency to administer the laws
 4-6     of this state relating to the registration of motor carriers and
 4-7     the inspection of commercial motor vehicles for another state
 4-8     agency; and
 4-9                 (8)  identifying the federal and state infrastructure
4-10     and manpower resources necessary to expedite the free flow of trade
4-11     across the border crossing from Mexico.
4-12           (b)  Each task force shall also study the primary and
4-13     secondary inspection processes relating to motor carrier safety
4-14     regulations and commercial driver's licensure requirements
4-15     administered by the Department of Public Safety to determine which
4-16     of those processes, regulations, and requirements may be automated
4-17     to expedite the free flow of trade across the border crossing from
4-18     Mexico.
4-19           (c)  Each task force shall focus on analyzing current
4-20     situations and developing solutions in anticipation of the removal
4-21     of geographical access barriers on Mexican commercial trucks.
4-22           SECTION 6.  REPORTS. Not later than December 31, 2002, each
4-23     task force shall file a report of the task force's activities,
4-24     findings, and recommendations with the lieutenant governor and the
4-25     speaker of the house of representatives.  Each report shall include
4-26     any  recommendations  for  legislative  or  administrative action
4-27     the task force considers appropriate.
 5-1           SECTION 7.  EXPIRATION.  The task forces are abolished and
 5-2     this Act expires September 1, 2003.
 5-3           SECTION 8.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act takes effect
 5-4     immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
 5-5     elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III,
 5-6     Texas Constitution.  If this Act does not receive the vote
 5-7     necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1,
 5-8     2001.