LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 14, 2009

TO:	Honorable John Carona, Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB1571 by Hinojosa (Relating to the issuance of certain permits for overweight vehicles.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would add Subchapter O to Chapter 623, Transportation Code, to provide an optional procedure for the issuance of a permit by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority for the movement of oversize or overweight vehicles carrying cargo on state highways located in San Patricio County. As part of the optional procedure, the Texas Transportation Commission could authorize the port authority to issue permits for such vehicles carrying cargo on state highways located in San Patricio County or Nueces County, with consent of the appropriate county's commissioners court.

The port authority would be required to make payments to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide funds for the maintenance of the affected state highways, and could collect a fee of no more than $80 per trip for issuing permits. Revenue collected would be deposited to the State Highway Fund to be used solely for maintenance of the state highways specified in the bill, with the port authority retaining no more than 15 percent of the fees collected to offset administrative costs.

Permit requirements are specified in the bill, including that the port authority must report to TxDOT all permits issued under the subchapter.

The maximum speed limit allowed for movement authorized by a permit would be no more than the posted speed limit or 55 miles per hour, whichever is less. The Department of Public Safety would have authority to enforce the provisions of the subchapter and the Texas Transportation Commission would be authorized to adopt rules necessary to implement the subchapter.

Revenue gains to the state would depend on the number of permits issued by the port authority for the movement of oversize or overweight vehicles carrying cargo on state highways in San Patricio and Nueces counties.

Although the bill would not make an appropriation, it would establish the basis for an appropriation.

Based on the analysis provided by TxDOT, it is assumed any costs or duties associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within existing resources.

Local Government Impact

Because the bill would not have statewide impact on units of local government of the same type or class, no comment from this office is required by the rules of the House/Senate as to its probable fiscal implication on units of local government.

Source Agencies:

304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 405 Department of Public Safety, 601 Department of Transportation

LBB Staff:

JOB, DB, KJG, TG