LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
                                Revision 1
  
                              April 25, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Clyde Alexander, Chair, House Committee on
               Transportation
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB220  by Shapiro (Relating to the regulation and
               enforcement of weight limitations and safety standards
               for certain motor vehicles and the enforcement of
               certain other traffic laws; providing penalties.),
               Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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The bill would amend the Transportation Code to clarify weight tolerances
for specific vehicles and would restrict vehicles operating under a
special tolerance permit from operating on a bridge for which maximum
weight and load limits have been established by the Texas Transportation
Commission or a county commissioners court, if the gross weight of the
vehicle and load or the axles and wheel loads are greater than the
established and posted limits.  The bill also allows for this restriction
not to apply if the bridge is along the only public highway or road that
the permitted vehicle can use to travel from its point of origin to its
destination.  The bill would establish that a person operating certain
vehicles commits a Class C misdemeanor if the person fails to keep a
weight record.  The bill would require the Comptroller to deposit
proceeds received from municipalities or counties for enforcement actions
that exceed a certain limit to the credit of the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT).

TxDOT estimates that implementing the provisions of the bill would result
in a $10.9 million cost savings each year from off-system and on-system
bridge repairs that would not be needed.  TxDOT estimates savings in the
amounts of $3 million for on-system bridges, $6.1 million for off-system
bridges, and $1.8 million for preliminary and construction engineering
costs each year.  It is assumed that the savings realized from bridge
repair costs not being incurred and any additional revenues received,
pursuant to the implementation of the bill, would be used for other
eligible transportation related expenditures.  TxDOT also estimates no
special tolerance permit revenue gain or loss to State Highway Fund No.
006 would be realized due to the implementation of the bill.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2001, except for the section
establishing that a person operating certain vehicles commits a Class C
misdemeanor if the person fails to keep a weight record.  This section
would take effect October 1, 2001.
  
Local Government Impact
  
Units of local government would experience a significant cost savings in
repairs to bridges. Savings would be proportional per bridge to the
savings per bridge for the state.  It is estimated that the bill would
not affect revenues generated for counties related to the sale of
special tolerance permits.  The bill would also allow counties to retain
fines in amounts up to 110 percent of actual expenses incurred in the
preceding fiscal year for enforcing the provisions of the bill, or up to
110 percent of the amount the Comptroller estimates would be incurred
for enforcing the provisions of the bill after reviewing the most recent
county audit where counties have no actual expenses.
  
  
Source Agencies:   405   Texas Department of Public Safety, 601   Texas
                   Department of Transportation
LBB Staff:         JK, JO, RT, MW