BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2536

By: Geren

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law requires board members of a regional transportation authority to reside in the authority.  Interested parties note that, as a result, a resident of a municipality that has not held a confirmation election for the confirmation of an authority and only receives services under contract, such as a resident of the City of Grapevine, is ineligible to serve on the board of a neighboring authority, such as the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, even though the municipality receiving contract services has made significant contributions and commitments of its sales tax revenues to the authority. In addition, current law does not expressly allow certain member jurisdictions of a transportation authority to appoint elected officials to serve on the board of the authority without compensation.

H.B. 2536 seeks to provide more direct accountability to the taxpayers who are supporting certain transportation authorities by amending provisions relating to the appointment of board members of a regional transportation authority.

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. 2536 amends the Transportation Code, in provisions applicable to a subregional board of a regional transportation authority that does not have a municipality with a population of more than 800,000,  requires the commissioners court of the county of the principal municipality that has a population of at least 350,000, if the entire county of the principal municipality is not included in the authority, to appoint at least one member to the subregional board to represent the municipalities that have entered into a contract with the authority to receive services, in addition to representing the unincorporated areas and municipalities in the county that are not otherwise represented on the subregional board.  The bill, in those same applicable provisions relating to such a subregional board, makes an elected officer of the state or a political subdivision of the state who is not prohibited by the Texas Constitution from serving on such a subregional board eligible, as an additional duty of office, to serve on the board.  The bill specifies that such a board member is not entitled to receive compensation for serving as a member but is entitled to reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in performing duties as a member.

H.B. 2536, in provisions generally applicable to all subregional boards,  authorizes an individual who does not reside in a regional transportation authority to be appointed to a subregional board in the manner provided by the bill's provisions for subregional boards in an authority that does not have a municipality with a population of more than 800,000 if the individual is a qualified voter of and resides in a municipality that has entered into a contract with the authority to receive services and has adopted a sales tax to participate in the funding of a transportation project being planned, developed, or operated by the authority.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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