By: Anchia H.B. No. 3852

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to information technologies to enhance the efficiency, useful life and global competitiveness of Texas' international commercial freight infrastructure.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Section 201, Transportation Code, is amended by adding Section 201.051(k) to read as follows:

Section 201.051(k) Upon assuming their duties, or as soon as possible thereafter, the members shall be briefed by staff and appropriate experts from partner agencies, academia and the private sector, about information technology applications and strategies to reduce congestion, enhance efficiency, and minimize the environmental impacts of international commercial freight operations on Texas transportation infrastructure, and the technology-enabled opportunities to optimize performance, boost the state's return on investment from and extend the useful life of existing highway infrastructure.

SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Section 201, Transportation Code, is amended by adding Section 201.051(l) to read as follows:

Section 201.051(l) One member shall be designated the state's chief trade technology advocate, by vote of the members. The chief trade technology advocate shall support the director and his staff in the review, testing, development, funding and adoption of proven, safe, cost-effective information technologies to enhance the efficiency of international commercial vehicle and infrastructure performance, boost fuel efficiency, reduce congestion and vehicle emissions, and strengthen the competitiveness of the Texas transportation system in the global transportation and logistics marketplace.

SECTION 3. Section 201.947 is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 201.947. STRATEGIC PLAN. The commission may not issue obligations under this subchapter before the department has developed a strategic plan that outlines how the money will be used, identifies information technology strategies to optimize the state's return on investment in new highway capacity, and the benefit the state will derive from use of money in the fund.

SECTION 4. Subchapter H, Section 201, Transportation Code, is amended by adding Section 201.623 to read as follows:

Section 201.623. INTERMODAL FREIGHT DATA SHARING TASK FORCE. (a) In this section, "task force" means the Intermodal Freight Data Sharing Task Force.

(b) The Director shall establish an Intermodal Freight Data Sharing Task Force to develop, finance and implement a statewide, intermodal freight data sharing system enabling commercial vehicle operators to access and make maximum use of public travel information and data using widely available information and communications technologies, including but not limited to geographic position systems (GPS), tablet computers and smart phones, to maximize the efficiency, useful life and global competitiveness of Texas' international commercial vehicle freight infrastructure, and to make Texas the world's most efficient, high performance infrastructure and logistics platform for interstate, intercontinental, and international cargo services.

(c) In addition to the director, the Task Force shall consist of representatives of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, U.S. Department of Transportation, Texas' transportation research institutions, freight and logistics companies, and other key stakeholders with an interest in intermodal commercial freight efficiency, emissions reduction, congestion mitigation and other performance issues.

(d) To fulfill its mission, the task force shall study, identify, test and recommend a cost-effective strategy for the development and funding of the technology platform needed to deliver an intermodal freight data sharing system as accessible as possible to all participants in Texas' freight community, including small logistics and freight businesses, taking full advantage of best practices from other jurisdictions, innovative finance options, and other innovations, with a view to fully capitalizing upon information technology to extract maximum return on investment in Texas existing transportation infrastructure.

(e) No later than December 31, 2014, the Task Force shall publish its findings and strategic recommendations, including selected case studies from other nations, and a strategic plan to boost cargo volumes served by international commercial vehicle operations in Texas by 20% by the year 2025, and reduce commercial vehicle emissions by 5%.

(f) Prior to the publication of its recommendations, the Task Force shall convene a work group of experts from the foreign transportation agencies representing jurisdictions recognized by the international freight and logistics industries as the leading nations for technology-enabled commercial freight innovation, to review and offer insights on task force recommendations, and include these in the final report.

SECTION 5. Section 201.991 is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 201.991. UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. (a) The department shall develop a unified transportation program covering a period of 10 years to guide the development of and authorize construction of transportation projects. The program must:

(1) annually identify target funding levels; and

(2) list all projects that the department intends to develop or begin construction of during the program period.

(b) The commission shall adopt rules that:

(1) specify the criteria for selecting projects to be included in the program;

(2) define program funding categories, including categories for safety, maintenance, and mobility; [and]

(3) define each phase of a major transportation project, including the planning, programming, implementation, and construction phases;[.]and

(4) establish a threshold requirement that any project selected for the program which exceeds $1,000,000 in total cost first be reviewed for potential cost-savings and performance improvements achievable for international freight movements through the use of commercial freight information systems and technologies, a simple procedure for certifying the completion of this review, a report for signature by the chief trade technology advocate, briefly summarizing the planning alternative, if any, identified through this review.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013.