BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                              C.S.H.B. 1522

80R13288 ACP-F                                                                                           By: Harless (Williams)

                                                                                                 Transportation & Homeland Security

                                                                                                                                            5/17/2007

                                                                                                        Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Currently, the Transportation Code allows a county or municipality to restrict overnight parking of commercial vehicles in a residential subdivision upon request from a homeowner.  The current language does not include streets adjacent to those areas.  Overnight parking of commercial vehicles continues to disturb residents and obstruct driving lanes and access to neighborhood parks, schools, and places of worship. 

 

C.S.H.B. 1522 expands existing provisions regarding the restriction of overnight parking in a residential subdivision to apply to streets adjacent to a subdivision and within 1,000 feet of a residence, school, church, or park.  The bill specifically exempts vehicles owned by a utility company that a utility employee parks at his or her residence because they are on call 24 hours a day.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends the heading to Section 545.307, Transportation Code, to read as follows:

 

Sec. 545.307.  OVERNIGHT PARKING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE IN OR NEAR RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION.

 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 545.307, Transportation Code, by amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsections (b-1) and (h), as follows:

 

(b) Prohibits a person, after 10 p.m. and before 6 a.m., from parking a commercial motor vehicle or leaving the vehicle parked on a street that is maintained by a municipality for which signs are posted as provided by Subsection (c) if the street is located within a residential subdivision or is adjacent to a residential subdivision and within 1,000 feet of the property line of a residence, school, place of worship, or park.

 

(b-1) Authorizes a person to park a commercial motor vehicle or leave the vehicle parked on a street for which signs are posted as provided by Subsection (c) under certain conditions.

 

(c) Makes conforming changes.

 

(h) Provides that this section does not apply to a vehicle owned by a utility that an employee of the utility who is on call 24 hours a day parks at the employee's residence.

 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 2007.