SRC-LBB S.B. 1649 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 1649 78R6633 JTS-DBy: Janek Infrastructure Development and Security 4/29/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Under present law, truck payloads carrying product to port are limited to 47,000 pounds, which short fills the shipping container used for transport by about 20 percent per trip. By maximizing the container load, the number of truck hauls needed would be reduced by approximately 7,000 trips per year per facility. As proposed, S.B. 1649 authorizes the Texas Department of Transportation to issue a permit for ocean cargo containers to increase the payload weight. 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 Chapter 623, Transportation Code, by adding Subchapter L, as follows: SUBCHAPTER L. OCEAN CARGO SHIPPING CONTAINERS Sec. 623.231. DEFINITION. Defines "ocean cargo shipping container." Sec. 623.232. PERMIT. Authorizes the Texas Department of Transportation to issue an annual permit for the movement of ocean cargo shipping containers under certain conditions. Sec. 623.233. PERMIT FEE. Provides that the amount of the fee for an annual permit issued under Section 623.232 is equal to the amount of a fee imposed in connection with a permit issued under Subchapter B. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2003.