BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 2293
80R10063 JJT-D By: Noriega, Rick et al. (Watson)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
According to the Legislative Budget Board, the 37 state agencies with fleet operations spend an average of $120.4 million per year on operating and maintenance activities, including vehicle acquisitions. Approximately 31 percent, or $41.4 million per year, is spent on fuel purchases alone. The fleet size for all state agencies totaled 20,125 as of January 1, 2006. The primary uses of state fleet vehicles are for maintenance operations, law enforcement activities, material transportation needs, and staff transportation needs.
Buying more fuel-efficient vehicles can help save $200 to $1,500 each year per vehicle in fuel costs and help the environment by emitting less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. More importantly, it can help strengthen national security by reducing dependence on foreign oil.
H.B. 2293 requires state agencies to purchase low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicles. Specifically, this bill requires that 10 percent of new vehicles purchased by state agencies be rated by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Tier II, Bin 3 vehicle with a gas greenhouse score of at least eight. Vehicles that fall under this category have a combined city/highway fuel economy of at least 30 miles per gallon.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 2158, Government Code, by adding Section 2158.009, as follows:
Sec. 2158.009. LOW-EMISSIONS VEHICLES PURCHASING REQUIREMENT. (a) Provides that this section applies only to a state agency that purchases 10 or more vehicles in a state fiscal biennium.
(b) Requires a state agency authorized to purchase passenger vehicles or other ground transportation vehicles for general use to ensure that not less than 10 percent of its vehicle purchases during any state fiscal biennium are purchases of vehicles that meet or exceed the emissions standards necessary to be rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a Tier II, Bin 3, emissions standard vehicle that has a greenhouse gas score of eight under regulations of that agency as they existed September 1, 2007.
(c) Exempts a state agency from Subsection (b) to the extent that a vehicle described by that subsection that meets the agency's operational needs is not commercially available.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2007.