LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session May 7, 2001 TO: Honorable Frank Madla, Chair, Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE: SB1128 by Bernsen (Relating to landscaping and billboards along highways; imposing a civil penalty.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted ************************************************************************** * No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. * ************************************************************************** The bill would amend the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to consider certain factors when developing transportation projects involving the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or resurfacing of a highway other than a maintenance resurfacing project. TxDOT would be required to spend no less than $6 million annually for the installation and maintenance, for functional and aesthetic design purposes, of highway landscape improvements. The bill would allow TxDOT to accept gifts, grants, and contributions from private and other sources and would require that the use of any gifts and grants would be subject to limitations for that gift or grant. The bill would prohibit "off-premise" signs on certain highways or portions of highways and would establish guidelines and requirements for the re-erection, reconstruction, repair, and rebuilding of those signs. The bill would establish a civil penalty for violations in an amount between $500 and $1,000 for each violation. The bill would allow the Attorney General, a district or county attorney, or a municipal attorney to file a suit and collect a penalty. All penalties collected by the Attorney General would be deposited to the credit of the State Highway Fund for the purposes of landscaping expenditures. No significant impact is anticipated because TxDOT currently allocates approximately $6 million annually for similar purposes. The bill would take effect September 1, 2001. Local Government Impact No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. Source Agencies: 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 601 Texas Department of Transportation LBB Staff: JK, DB, RT, MW, DW