BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1545

By: Allen

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties observe that, under current law, public transportation providers that offer transportation services for people with disabilities do not have a uniform system of procedures and have varying eligibility requirements. This state of affairs hinders the ability of people with disabilities to move freely across the state. C.S.H.B. 1545 seeks to allow eligible residents to obtain services from any provider in the state upon certification of eligibility by the service provider in the area in which they reside.

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. 1545 amends the Transportation Code to require a public transportation provider that provides public transportation services designed for people with disabilities who are unable to use the provider's bus or rail services, at the request of an individual who resides in a provider's service area and who is eligible to use the provider's services, to provide written certification that the individual is eligible to use the provider's services. The bill entitles an individual with that proof of certification to obtain services from any such provider in Texas for not more than 60 days during a 365-day period that begins with the individual's first use of a provider's service outside of the service area in which the individual resides.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1545 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.