BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2304

By: Rodriguez, Eddie

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties have observed that there were more than 900,000 vehicles registered in Travis County last year and as many as 600 active trucking and commercial motor vehicle companies operating in the area. Combined with traffic passing through the county, there is concern about congestion on the roadways in Travis County and that the concentration of cars mixed with commercial motor vehicles, including tractor-trailer rigs, buses, and construction vehicles, poses a risk to the safety and lives of Travis County citizens. These parties point out that although commercial motor vehicles are regulated by both state and federal law, the Travis County Sheriff's Office can actively enforce only certain state regulations and cite certain violations. Instead, a deputy must call upon other law enforcement agencies to enforce federal regulations, which may tie up valuable time for both the sheriff's deputies and the other law enforcement officers. H.B. 2304 seeks to address this issue by authorizing certain sheriffs and deputy sheriffs to enforce federal commercial motor vehicle safety standards.

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

H.B. 2304 amends the Transportation Code to reduce from 2.2 million to one million the minimum population of a county that renders a sheriff or a deputy sheriff of the county eligible to apply for certification to enforce commercial motor vehicle safety standards in the county.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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