BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3795

By: Coleman

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

County assistance districts allow counties to levy a voter-approved sales and use tax to provide adequate public infrastructure to support population growth in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  With recent limitations in federal and state funds, interested parties report that counties are examining any and all available tools to help finance necessary infrastructure. Such parties assert that county assistance districts could be used to pay for regional mobility improvements, law enforcement, fire-fighting services, and other public facilities like parks, libraries, and museums; however, until recently, county assistance districts had not been given much consideration due to ambiguities in the law.

Recently enacted legislation sought to clarify the law governing the creation and powers of county assistance districts, but ambiguity about whether a county could create more than one county assistance district per commissioners precinct remained. H.B. 3795 seeks to give effect to the legislation's intent and grant counties the flexibility to effectively use county assistance districts to provide needed infrastructure and stimulate economic development in their respective jurisdictions.

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. 3795 amends the Local Government Code to remove a provision limiting a county commissioners court's authority to create a county assistance district in a commissioners precinct to one district in the precinct.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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