Honorable Larry Phillips, Chair, House Committee on Transportation
FROM:
John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB630 by Pickett (Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation, counties, regional tollway authorities, and regional mobility authorities to enter into funding agreements to expedite the entity's environmental review duties related to certain transportation projects.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code to allow the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a county, or certain regional tollway or regional mobility authorities to enter into an agreement to pay a state or federal agency to expedite an environmental review process for transportation projects.
TxDOT indicates that funding from the state's current allocation of state and federal highway planning and construction dollars would be used to provide funds to a state or federal agency to expedite that agency's environmental review process. Based on the analysis of TxDOT, it is assumed that any costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill would be accommodated through the reallocation of funding from other highway planning and construction activities.
The bill also would allow TxDOT to enter into a separate agreement determined by the department for regional importance. Agreements would be required to be available on an entity’s Internet website.
Local Government Impact
The fiscal impact to a county, or a regional tollway or regional mobility authority would vary depending on whether an agreement was established to provide funds to expedite an environmental review process for a transportation project. It is assumed an agreement would be established only if sufficient funds were available.
According to the North Texas Tollway Authority, the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, there would be no fiscal impact associated with the provisions of the bill.
The Texas Association of Counties (TAC) reported that some counties may provide funding to expedite an environmental review process for transportation projects; however, it would vary and is not anticipated to create a significant fiscal impact to counties on a statewide basis.