80(R) HB 2603 - House Committee Report version

TO:	Honorable Frank Corte, Jr., Chair, House Committee on Defense Affairs & State-Federal Relations

FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB2603 by Escobar (Relating to discount programs for certain veterans provided by toll project entities. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

The bill would amend the Transportation Code to create a veteran discount program for electronic toll collection customers whose account relates to a vehicle registered under various provisions for disabled veterans or Medal of Honor recipients. The bill would authorize the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a regional tollway authority, regional mobility authority, or a county to establish a toll discount program and would require that the program include free or discounted use of applicable toll projects. The bill would authorize the Legislature to appropriate General Revenue Funds to a toll project entity to defray the costs of providing free or discounted use of the toll projects.

TxDOT indicates that approximately 67,000 disabled veterans' vehicles are registered in Texas. The fiscal implications of implementing the veteran discount program on state toll projects would depend on the number of veterans using state toll facilities and the frequency of use and, therefore, cannot be determined. However, it is assumed that a veteran discount program would not result in a significant fiscal impact to the state.

The bill would take effect on September 1, 2007.

It is unknown how many applicable vehicles would use local toll facilities, for how many miles, or how frequently the facilities would be used; therefore, the fiscal implications cannot be determined. However, it is anticipated that the impact would not be significant per local tolling entity.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


April 14, 2007