BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1670

By: Nichols

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Recent legislation created a state permit that allowed for the operation of oversize and overweight vehicles throughout Texas. These annual permits are issued to transport loads that are not able to be divided with a few exceptions for divisible loads. The fee for these permits consists of a base permit fee, an administrative fee, and an additional fee based on the number of counties in which the vehicle operates. Over the past several years, the demand for these permits has steadily increased. Interested parties assert that the fees for these permits fail to cover the cost of the deterioration of state highway systems and other transportation infrastructure caused by vehicles requiring these permits. The parties believe that these fees need to be increased to create additional revenue to be deposited into the general revenue and state highway funds and later distributed to counties to maintain county roads.

S.B. 1670 seeks to address these issues and generate additional revenue from oversize and overweight vehicles.

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

S.B. 1670 amends the Transportation Code to increase from $90 to $180 the base permit fee required to be paid to qualify for a permit for excess axle or gross weight.  The bill increases from $50 to $140 the portion of that fee the comptroller of public accounts is required to send to the counties of the state.  The bill revises the fee schedule for the additional fee imposed on a person applying for a permit for excess axle or gross weight who intends to use the permit in more than one county and revises the amount of such additional fee required to be deposited to the general revenue fund, each based on the number of designated counties within which the permit holder intends to operate the permitted vehicle.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.