BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4332

By: Hamilton

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law allows cities that meet certain criteria to seek certification to perform commercial motor vehicle safety inspections. However, Vidor does not currently meet these criteria. It is important that Vidor be able to seek such certification because of the amount of commercial traffic on the Interstate Highway 10 corridor. There have been numerous accidents involving commercial vehicles with defects.

C.S.H.B. 4332 authorizes a police officer employed by a city with a population of at least 10,000 that is located in a county with a population of less than 100,000 that borders the State of Louisiana and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to seek certification to perform commercial motor vehicle safety inspections in an effort to increase safety for Texans traveling on Interstate Highway 10.

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

C.S.H.B. 4332 reenacts and amends Section 644.101(b), Transportation Code, as amended by Chapters 508 (S.B. 545), 702 (H.B. 2077), and 1030 (H.B. 1638), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, to add a municipality with a population of at least 10,000 that is located in a county with a population of less than 100,000 and that borders the State of Louisiana and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the municipalities in which a police officer is eligible to apply for certification to enforce commercial motor vehicle safety standards.

C.S.H.B. 4332 establishes that its provisions, to the extent of any conflict, prevail over another Act of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009, relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted code.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 4332 removes a provision in the original requiring a municipality to which the bill is applicable to have a population less than 15,000.