BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 3302 |
By: Darby |
Transportation |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties contend that the Texas Department of Transportation is unnecessarily required to spend a portion of highway contract funding to enhance the appearance of public highways by incorporating landscapes to emphasize natural beauty and green space. However, these parties assert that this contractually set percentage can sometimes result in wasted state funding when the required spending amount exceeds reasonable landscaping costs. C.S.H.B. 3302 seeks to remedy this situation by providing for sensible guidelines for funding and maintaining beautification projects.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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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.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3302 amends the
Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
to establish guidelines for a beautification project on a state highway
right-of-way that require the use of only native or regionally appropriate
plants. The bill requires the guidelines to prioritize the use of plants that
are low maintenance and drought resistant if used for a beautification project
located in an area of Texas that experiences frequent droughts. The bill
requires TxDOT, for each highway project contract that involves the
expenditure of
C.S.H.B. 3302 caps the total amount of money allocated for landscaping improvements for a highway project contract at one percent of the lesser of the estimated total amount to be spent, or the actual total amount spent, under the contract for construction, maintenance, or improvement of the highway if that total amount is less than $50 million or one-half of one percent of the lesser of that estimated total amount or that actual total amount if that total amount is $50 million or more. The bill restricts the use of money received by a district from TxDOT to landscaping improvements related to the highway project that is the subject of the contract for which the allocation is made or another highway or highway segment located in the district. The bill's provisions regarding expenditures for highway landscaping do not apply to a contract awarded for an emergency highway improvement project, for silt and erosion control or repair, and for planting grass required by federal regulation.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2015.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 3302 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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