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 ************************************************************************** * No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. * ************************************************************************** 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