LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 15, 2003

TO:	Honorable Mike Krusee, Chair, House Committee on Transportation
FROM:	John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB716 by Lindsay (Relating to causeways, bridges, tunnels, turnpikes, and highways in certain counties bordering the Gulf of Mexico and in adjacent counties.), Committee Report 2nd House, As Amended

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Transportation Code to expand the list of project locations to include a project in one or more counties adjacent to the county where a county, acting through the commissioner’s court of the county, or a local government corporation, without state approval, supervision, or regulation, may construct, acquire, improve, operate, maintain, or pool a project.  The bill would also allow a county, acting through the commissioner’s court of the county, or a local government corporation, without state approval, supervision, or regulation, to construct a bridge over a deep waterway navigation channel if the bridge does not hinder maritime transportation.  The bill would require 0.2 percent of county toll collections to be equally shared between the General Land Office (GLO) and the Permanent School Fund (PSF); that GLO would use its receipts to acquire real property in a natural state in the county of the project; and that the land acquired by the GLO would remain in a natural state.

 

Based on the analysis of the Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the GLO, and the Comptroller of Public Accounts, it is assumed that the duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished using existing resources.  It is also assumed that the amount that would be made available to GLO and the PSF from estimated future toll revenues would not generate a significant fiscal impact to the state.

 

The bill would take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds majority vote in both houses; otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2003.

Local Government Impact

This estimate assumes similar revenue collections each year for county toll facilities as those reported to TxDOT for fiscal year 2001 for the Cameron County International Toll Bridge System, the Harris County Toll Road, and the Starr County International Toll Bridge System.  Based on this data, it is assumed that approximately $233,000 each year would be made available to both GLO and the PSF for the purposes of the bill from revenues collected by local toll facilities.

Source Agencies:	305 General Land Office and Veterans' Land Board, 601 Department of Transportation
LBB Staff:	JK, RR, RT, MW