BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 569
By: Zaffirini et al.
International Relations & Trade
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade and border leaders have campaigned for years to have inspection stations for northbound traffic built on the Mexican side of the international boundary to ease traffic congestion. At an interim hearing, the Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade unanimously passed a motion that the state's border commerce coordinator address the issue of one-stop border truck inspection facilities and restart the 1999 Border Inspection and Trade Working Group.
S.B. 569 requires Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) officials who are proficient in Spanish to meet quarterly with their counterparts in the Mexican states bordering Texas to discuss issues relating to truck inspections and the related transportation and infrastructure. It requires TxDOT to contact the United States ambassador to Mexico, the border commerce coordinator, Texas' congressional delegation, and the mayor of each municipality in which a port-of-entry for land traffic is located, to assist in carrying out the provisions of this bill.
The legislation requires TxDOT to submit to the legislature a report documenting the views, concerns, and recommendations of those participating in the meetings and the minutes. Lastly, the bill requires TxDOT, in conjunction with the border commerce coordinator to develop short- and long-range plans to expedite trade by mitigating delays in border crossing inspections.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 201.207, Transportation Code, as follows:
Sec. 201.207. CROSS-BORDER TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE MEETINGS. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text. Requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to initiate efforts to meet at least quarterly, rather than semiannually, with the department's counterparts in those states of the United Mexican States that border this state to discuss issues relating to truck inspections and transportation and infrastructure involved in truck inspections and transportation.
(b) Requires TxDOT to contact certain government officials to assist it in carrying out this section.
(c) Requires at least one TxDOT representative participating in a meeting under Subsection (a) to be proficient in Spanish.
(d) Requires TxDOT, based on information obtained from meetings under Subsection (a) and in conjunction with the border commerce coordinator, to develop short-range and long-range plans, including certain recommendations relating to trade and border crossing inspections. Requires TxDOT to update the plan biennially and submit the updated plan to certain elected officials on or before December 1 of each even-numbered year.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2005.