BILL ANALYSIS
By: Noriega, Rick
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
According to the Legislative Budget Board, the 37 state agencies with fleet operations spend on the average $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.
The purpose of this legislation is to require state agencies to purchase emission and fuel-efficient vehicles. Specifically, it would require for 10% of new vehicles purchased by state agencies to 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.
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 our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
CSHB 2293 Amends the Government Code to require state agencies with authority to purchase passenger or general use vehicles to ensure that not less than 10% of total vehicle purchases in a biennium meet or exceed the standards necessary to be rated by the United State Environmental Protection Agency as a Tier II, Bin 3, vehicle with a greenhouse gas score of at least eight.
The bill limits this requirement only to a state agency that purchases ten or more vehicles in a biennium and only to the extent that the a suitable vehicle that meets the agency's needs is commercially available.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2007.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The substitute applies the low-emissions vehicle purchasing requirement only to a state agency that purchases ten or more vehicles in a biennium and only to the extent that the a suitable vehicle that meets the agency's needs is commercially available.