LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              April 24, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Frank Madla, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Intergovernmental Relations
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB816  by Armbrister (Relating to the authority of the
               commissioners court of a county to regulate the movement
               of an oversize manufactured house on certain county
               roads, bridges, or culverts; providing a penalty.), As
               Introduced
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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The bill would allow counties to require permits for the transport of
oversized manufactured housing on county roads and bridges.  Counties
would be authorized to impose an application fee not to exceed $10 and
could designate the routes these vehicles would be required to follow.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2001.
  
Local Government Impact
  
According to the Motor Carrier Division of the Texas Department of
Transportation, the state issued 150,000 permits to oversized
manufactured houses to be transported over state highways. While the
state does not issue permits for county roads, it is reasonable to assume
that some of these vehicles eventually ended up on county roads and
bridges.

The Manufactured Housing Division of the Texas Department of Housing and
Community Affairs (TDHCA) reports there are 662,398 manufactured home
titles in Texas.  From time to time, some of these homes can be assumed
to be moved within and amongst the various counties in the state.  In
fiscal year 2000, the department reported 37,703 manufactured home
installations in the entire state.  The county by county report for the
year shows that installations were as few as one in Borden County to
upwards of 2,200 in Harris County.

The TDHCA report indicates four homes were installed in Knox County in
2000.  In the same year, there were 342 manufactured home installations
in Comal County.

Based on the figures provided, had the $10 fee been an option in year
2000, Borden County would have had a revenue gain of $10; Knox County, a
gain of $40; Comal County, a gain of $3,420; and Harris County, a gain of
$22,000.

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   601   Texas Department of Transportation, 302
                   Office of the Attorney General, 304   Comptroller of
                   Public Accounts
LBB Staff:         JK, DB, MW