BILL ANALYSIS
By: Gallego
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The vast size of Texas requires many Texans to spend many hours on roads. Travel by road is especially challenging and time consuming for rural Texans who live in sparsely populated areas of our state. The purpose of this bill is to give the transportation commission the authority to increase the speed limit up to 80 miles per hour on Interstate 10 and Interstate 20 in the sparsely populated counties of Crockett, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Pecos, Reeves, Sutton, and Ward.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1 - Amends Section 545.353(h) by allowing the commission to establish a speed limit of 80 miles per hour on Interstate 10 and Interstate 20 in the sparsely populated counties of Crockett, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Pecos, Reeves, Sutton, and Ward.
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Acct does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2005.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
In the introduced version, the commission was allowed to raise the speed limit to 80 miles per hour on roads in counties with a population density of 10 persons or less per square mile. The Committee Substitute deletes the 10 person or less per square mile provision and specifies that the Commission can raise the speed limit to 80 miles per hour only on Interstates 10 and 20 in the counties of Crockett, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Pecos, Reeves, Sutton, and Ward.