LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 3, 2009

TO:	Honorable John Carona, Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB1382 by Carona (Relating to the coordination of the planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of a statewide passenger rail system by the Texas Department of Transportation.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

This bill would implement recommendations in the LBB's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report to the Eighty-First Legislature, 2009, entitled "Improve State Coordination of the Development of a Passenger Rail System."

The bill would require the Texas Department of Transportation to coordinate activities regarding passenger rail and to create and annually update a plan for a statewide passenger rail system. The plan would include information about proposed and existing passenger rail systems; the status of passenger rail systems under construction; analysis of potential interconnectivity problems; ridership projections for proposed passenger rail lines; and ridership statistics for existing passenger rail lines.

Local and regional transportation authorities could provide the agency with the data relevant to complete the plan. The Texas Department of Transportation, as the state's lead agency in transportation planning, has staffing resources sufficient to meet the requirements of this bill.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

601 Department of Transportation

LBB Staff:

JOB, KJG, JI, BH