BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center                                                                                                     H.B. 2057

81R35397 MTB-D                                                                                             By: Gallego (Uresti)

Transportation & Homeland Security

5/21/2009

Committee Report (Amended)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Certain counties are allowed to impose a small fee, less than or equal to $10, to register a vehicle. The revenue that is collected from that registration fee goes to the regional mobility authority that the county is included in. This bill expands the number of counties eligible to impose vehicle registration fees by including counties that have a population of less than 50,000 people, border Mexico, and contain at least one federal military base. If an eligible county is not included within a regional mobility authority, then the revenue from vehicle registration fees will go towards the county public transportation fund. Either way, the revenue from the vehicle registration fees will support road development and infrastructure.

H.B. 2057 amends current law relating to an optional county fee on registration of a vehicle in certain counties.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Sections 502.1725(a), (f), and (g), Transportation Code, as follows:

(a)  Provides that this section applies only to certain counties, including a county that has a population of less than 50,000 that borders the United Mexican States, and contains at least one federal military base.  Makes nonsubstantive changes. 

(f)  Requires the county, if the county is included in a regional mobility authority, to send the fee revenue to the regional mobility authority to fund long-term transportation projects in the county.  Makes a nonsubstantive change. 

(g)  Requires the Texas Department of Transportation to send all fees to the regional mobility authority of the county to fund long-term transportation projects in the county if the county is included in an authority or to the county treasurer to be credited to the county public transportation fund if the county is not included in an authority. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2009.

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE CHANGES

(1) Amends SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 502.1725(a)(1), Transportation Code, by striking proposed Paragraph (C) and substituting the following: "(C) that either: (i) has no [(3) in which the largest] municipality with [has] a population of [less than] 300,000 or more; or (ii)  borders another state of the United States; and".