BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 2338
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Current statute authorizes municipalities to regulate taxicab transportation services. The City of Houston regulates limousines by ordinance that includes licensing, permitting fees, inspection, insurance, driver requirements, and fares. Limousine operators have questioned the City of Houston's authority to regulate their businesses.
H.B. 2338 authorizes municipalities to license, control, and regulate limousine transportation services.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 215.004, Local Government Code, as follows:
Sec. 215.004. New heading: TAXICABS AND LIMOUSINES. (a) Authorizes a municipality by ordinance, in order to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, to license, control, and otherwise regulate each private passenger vehicle, regardless of how it is propelled, that provides passenger limousine transportation services for compensation and is designed for carrying no more than 15 passengers.
(a-1) Provides that Subsection (a) applies to a taxicab or limousine service that is operated within certain areas.
(b) Authorizes the ordinance to include regulation of the entry into the business of providing passenger taxicab or limousine transportation services, including controls, limits, or other restrictions on the total number of persons providing the services.
(c) Makes a conforming change.
(d) Provides that the provisions of this section relating to the regulation of limousine transportation services apply only to a municipality with a population of more than 1.9 million.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2007.