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By:  Zaffirini, Lucio                                             S.B. No. 293
 
    Hinojosa, Shapleigh                                                      


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to meetings between representatives of the Department of 
Public Safety of the State of Texas and Mexican states on 
transportation and truck inspection issues.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is 
amended by adding Section 411.0097 to read as follows:
	Sec. 411.0097.  TRANSPORTATION AND INSPECTIONS MEETING WITH 
REPRESENTATIVES OF MEXICAN STATES.  (a)  The department shall meet 
at least quarterly with the department's counterparts in the 
Mexican states bordering this state to discuss issues relating to 
truck inspections and transportation and infrastructure involved 
in truck inspections and transportation.
	(b)  To assist the department in carrying out this section, 
the department shall contact the United States ambassador to 
Mexico, the border commerce coordinator designated under Section 
772.010, this state's members of the United States House of 
Representatives and Senate, and the mayors of each municipality in 
this state in which a port of entry for land traffic is located.
	(c)  Department representatives participating in a meeting 
under Subsection (a) must be proficient in Spanish.
	(d)  Based on information obtained from the meetings under 
Subsection (a), the department, in conjunction with the border 
commerce coordinator, shall develop short-range and long-range 
plans including recommendations to increase bilateral relations 
with Mexico and expedite trade by mitigating delays in border 
crossing inspections for northbound truck traffic.  The department 
shall update the plan biennially and submit the updated plan to the 
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, 
and each other member of the legislature on or before December 1 of 
each even-numbered year.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect September 1, 2005.