SRC-AMY C.S.H.B. 3554 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterC.S.H.B. 3554
By: Raymond (Zaffirini)
International Relations and Trade
5/22/2003
Committee Report (Substituted)

DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Truck traffic in Laredo has increased from 865,952 loaded trucks crossing
the bridges in 1995 to 2,900,000 currently, with more than 12,000 trucks
traveling in and out of Laredo daily.  The implementation of the North
American Free Trade Agreement, i.e., NAFTA, has brought dramatically
increased traffic and collisions to border cities.  The border cities have
organized to place border inspection stations near ports of entry without
interrupting the flow of traffic. Currently the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) is in the process of building eight inspection
stations and is not required to consult with the border municipalities on
the placement of the border inspection stations. C.S.H.B. 3554 allows
cities with more than 900,000 commercial border crossings in the state
fiscal year ending August 31, 2002, to direct where the inspection station
will be located, if the station is to be located inside the city limits or
the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction.  This bill also instructs TxDOT
to erect and maintain border inspection facilities in the Pharr, Laredo,
and El Paso districts. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 201.613, Transportation Code, as follows:

Sec. 201.613.  New heading: ONE-STOP BORDER INSPECTION FACILITIES. (a)
Requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to erect and
maintain border inspection facilities, rather than choose a location for
an inspection station, along a major highway at or near a border crossing
from Mexico in the Pharr, Laredo, and El Paso districts, rather than in
Brownsville, in Laredo, and in El Paso, for the inspection of motor
vehicles for compliance with federal and state commercial motor vehicle
regulations. Deletes text referring to federal, state, and municipal
agencies that regulate the passage of persons or vehicles across the
border.  Requires TxDOT, to the extent possible, to colocate agencies and
utilize intelligent transportation systems in order to expedite the
movement of people and vehicles. 

(b)  Authorizes the municipality, if a facility that serves a bridge
system that had more than 900,000 commercial border crossings during the
state fiscal year ending August 31, 2002, is to be located in a
municipality or a municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction, to choose
the location of the facility within the municipality or the municipality's
extraterritorial jurisdiction.  Requires the municipality to choose a
location not later than the 180th day after the date TxDOT makes a request
for a location.  Deletes text referring to a requirement that TxDOT
establish and maintain an inspection station at the locations chosen in
only if the federal agencies involved in the regulation of the passage of
persons or vehicles at that border crossing agree to the design of the
facility at each location and agree to use the facility at each location
if built.  Deletes original Subsection (c) and  text referring to
authorization for TxDOT to enter into agreements with federal, state, and
municipal agencies the form of that agreement 

SECTION 2.  Requires TxDOT to spend the money appropriated during the 76th
Legislature for  Section 201.613 (One-Stop Border Inspection Stations),
Transportation Code, as added by Chapter 1527, Acts of the 76th
Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, or money received from the federal
government to establish the border inspection facilities under Section
201.613 (One-Stop Border Inspection Stations), Transportation Code, as
amended by this Act. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date:  upon passage or September 1, 2003.