BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 436
80R3402 MTB-D By: Ellis
Transportation & Homeland Security
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Under current law, hybrid vehicles are not authorized to access high occupancy vehicle lanes regardless of occupancy and are not authorized to have free access to toll roads.
As an incentive to encourage drivers to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles, Virginia, Utah, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona have authorized hybrid vehicles to use high occupancy vehicle lanes without having multiple occupants. Other initiatives in Oregon and Colorado offer tax credits for the purchase of hybrid vehicles and the cities of New Haven, Connectict and Baltimore, Maryland have offered free or reduced parking for hybrid vehicles. According to the United States Department of Energy, a hybrid vehicle could save as much as $4,336 in gasoline costs over a period of five years over a vehicle that gets a gas mileage of 25 miles per gallon. For vehicles with a gas mileage of 20 miles per gallon, the savings could amount to $6,234 over a five-year period of time. Furthermore, hybrid vehicles have the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as one-third.
As proposed, S.B. 436 provides an incentive to purchase and operate fuel-efficient vehicles by authorizing hybrid vehicles to display an insignia that would authorize the vehicle access to high occupancy vehicle lanes without multiple occupants and provide free access to toll roads.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 224.153, Transportation Code, by adding Subsection (e), to authorize a motor vehicle that displays the "hybrid vehicle" insignia authorized by Section 502.1861 in an easily readable location of the back of the vehicle to use a high occupancy vehicle lane regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle unless the use would impair the receipt of federal transit funds.
SECTION 2. Amends Subtitle G, Title 6, Transportation Code, by adding Chapter 371, as follows:
CHAPTER 371. PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF TOLL PROJECT
Sec. 371.001. VEHICLES DISPLAYING "HYBRID VEHICLE" INSIGNIA. Defines "toll project" and "toll project entity." Prohibits a toll project entity from requiring a motor vehicle displaying the "hybrid vehicle" insignia authorized by Section 502.1861 in an easily readable location on the back of the vehicle to pay a toll for the use of a toll project.
SECTION 3. Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, by adding Section 502.1861, as follows:
Sec. 502.1861. "HYBRID VEHICLE" INSIGNIA FOR CERTAIN MOTOR VEHICLES. Requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), at the time of registration or reregistration of the motor vehicle, to issue a specially designed "hybrid vehicle" insignia for a motor vehicle that draws propulsion energy from both gasoline or conventional diesel fuel and from a rechargeable energy storage system. Requires TxDOT to issue a "hybrid vehicle" insignia under this section to persons who meet certain criteria without the payment of any additional fee.
SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2007.