1-1     By:  Shapleigh                                         S.B. No. 508
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 1, 2001; February 5, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce;
 1-4     March 15, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 7,
 1-5     Nays 0; March 15, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to establishing task forces in certain border communities
 1-9     to study impediments to trade in the border region.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  DEFINITIONS.  In this Act:
1-12                 (1)  "Border region" means the area composed of the
1-13     counties of Brewster, Cameron, Culberson, Dimmit, El Paso, Hidalgo,
1-14     Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Presidio, Starr,
1-15     Terrell, Val Verde, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, and Zavala.
1-16                 (2)  "Task force" means a border community trade task
1-17     force established under this Act.
1-18           SECTION 2.  BORDER COMMUNITY TRADE TASK FORCE.  The
1-19     lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of representatives
1-20     shall establish a border community trade task force for each of the
1-21     four municipalities with the largest populations in the border
1-22     region to identify procedural and infrastructure impediments to the
1-23     free flow of trade between the United States and Mexico along the
1-24     border region and make findings and recommendations as considered
1-25     appropriate regarding those trade impediments.
1-26           SECTION 3.  MEMBERSHIP; OFFICERS.  (a)  As soon as
1-27     practicable after the effective date of this Act, the speaker of
1-28     the house of representatives and lieutenant governor jointly shall
1-29     appoint not more than 25 members to serve on each task force.
1-30           (b)  Each task force must include:
1-31                 (1)  one person representing each agency of the United
1-32     States with jurisdiction over international trade, international
1-33     commerce, or transportation issues;
1-34                 (2)  one person representing each governmental agency
1-35     of Mexico;
1-36                 (3)  one person representing the Texas Department of
1-37     Transportation;
1-38                 (4)  one person representing the Department of Public
1-39     Safety of the State of Texas;
1-40                 (5)  one person representing the interests of local
1-41     customs brokers;
1-42                 (6)  one person representing the interests of freight
1-43     forwarders;
1-44                 (7)  one person representing the interests of motor
1-45     carriers;
1-46                 (8)  one person representing the interests of drayage
1-47     carriers; and
1-48                 (9)  one person representing the local maquiladora
1-49     industry.
1-50           (c)  The speaker of the house of representatives and
1-51     lieutenant governor shall jointly select the presiding officer of
1-52     each task force from among the task force members.  A task force
1-53     may designate other officers as the task force considers
1-54     appropriate.
1-55           SECTION 4.  ASSISTANCE; EXPENSES.  (a)  Each task force may
1-56     request  assistance  and  information, other than confidential
1-57     information relating to an individual, from the Department of
1-58     Public Safety of the State of Texas and the Texas Department of
1-59     Transportation.  The departments shall provide the assistance and
1-60     information requested to the extent practicable.
1-61           (b)  The expenses of each task force, including the
1-62     compensation of necessary staff, may be paid from any appropriate
1-63     funds of the house of representatives and the senate. The
1-64     legislature may appropriate money for the support of each task
 2-1     force.
 2-2           SECTION 5.  TASK FORCE DUTIES.  (a)  Each task force shall
 2-3     study and evaluate the procedures and practices maintained at the
 2-4     port of entry between Texas and Mexico nearest to the municipality
 2-5     represented by the task force to determine what modifications could
 2-6     be made to expedite the flow of trade from Mexico, including:
 2-7                 (1)  identifying the cause of traffic congestion at the
 2-8     border crossing from Mexico;
 2-9                 (2)  reviewing customs brokers practices, including the
2-10     batch release process;
2-11                 (3)  reviewing the drayage business and drayage
2-12     concerns;
2-13                 (4)  reviewing  and considering the standardization of
2-14     the hours of operation for financial institutions, customs brokers,
2-15     United States Customs Service offices, and maquiladoras along the
2-16     Texas-Mexico border;
2-17                 (5)  determining the feasibility of establishing a
2-18     program authorizing the Department of Public Safety of the State of
2-19     Texas officers or inspectors certified by the department to conduct
2-20     commercial vehicle and driver safety inspections in Mexico;
2-21                 (6)  reviewing United States Customs Service practices
2-22     to determine what procedures and processes need to be changed to
2-23     permit a precleared Mexican commercial vehicle to bypass the
2-24     primary customs inspection point;
2-25                 (7)  determining the feasibility of interagency
2-26     agreements that would allow a state agency to administer the laws
2-27     of this state relating to the registration of motor carriers and
2-28     the inspection of commercial motor vehicles for another state
2-29     agency; and
2-30                 (8)  identifying the federal and state infrastructure
2-31     and manpower resources necessary to expedite the free flow of trade
2-32     across the border crossing from Mexico.
2-33           (b)  Each task force shall also study the primary and
2-34     secondary inspection processes relating to motor carrier safety
2-35     regulations and commercial driver's licensure requirements
2-36     administered by the Department of Public Safety of the State of
2-37     Texas to determine which of those processes, regulations, and
2-38     requirements may be automated to expedite the free flow of trade
2-39     across the border crossing from Mexico.
2-40           (c)  Each task force shall focus on analyzing current
2-41     situations and developing solutions in anticipation of the removal
2-42     of geographical access barriers on Mexican commercial trucks.
2-43           SECTION 6.  REPORTS.  Not later than December 31, 2002, each
2-44     task force shall file a report of the task force's activities,
2-45     findings, and recommendations with the lieutenant governor and the
2-46     speaker of the house of representatives.  Each report shall include
2-47     any  recommendations  for  legislative  or  administrative action
2-48     the task force considers appropriate.
2-49           SECTION 7.  EXPIRATION.  The task forces are abolished and
2-50     this Act expires September 1, 2003.
2-51           SECTION 8.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act takes effect
2-52     immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
2-53     elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III,
2-54     Texas Constitution.  If this Act does not receive the vote
2-55     necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1,
2-56     2001.
2-57                                  * * * * *