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79R2994 DWS-F
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 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) Not later than the 14th day after the date of the end of
each meeting under Subsection (a), the department shall submit to
the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
representatives, and each other member of the legislature a report
including:
(1) documentation of the views, concerns, and
recommendations of the persons participating in the meeting; and
(2) the minutes of the meeting.
(e) 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.