84R11578 GRM-D
 
  By: Lucio III H.B. No. 3378
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the border commerce coordinator.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by
  Chapter 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
  Session, 1999, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 772.010.  BORDER COMMERCE COORDINATOR.  (a)  The
  governor shall designate a border commerce coordinator in the
  governor's office or the office of the secretary of state as
  determined by the governor. The coordinator shall:
               (1)  examine trade issues between the United States,
  Mexico, and Canada;
               (2)  act as an ombudsman for government agencies within
  the Texas and Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by
  improving communication and cooperation between federal, state,
  and local governments;
               (3)  work with federal officials to resolve
  transportation issues involving infrastructure, including roads
  and bridges, to allow for the efficient movement of goods and people
  across the border between Texas and Mexico;
               (4)  work with federal officials to create a unified
  federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs;
               (5)  work to increase funding for the North American
  Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater
  facilities; [and]
               (6)  explore the sale of excess electric power from
  Texas to Mexico;
               (7)  study the flow of commerce at ports of entry
  between this state and Mexico, including the movement of commercial
  vehicles across the border, and establish a plan to aid that
  commerce and improve the movement of those vehicles;
               (8)  work to identify problems associated with border
  truck inspections and related trade and transportation
  infrastructure and develop recommendations for addressing those
  problems;
               (9)  work with the appropriate state and federal
  agencies to develop initiatives to mitigate congestion at ports of
  entry; and
               (10)  develop recommendations designed to:
                     (A)  increase trade by attracting new business
  ventures;
                     (B)  support expansion of existing and new
  industries; and
                     (C)  address workforce training needs.
         (b)  The governor shall appoint a border commerce
  coordinator to serve at the will of the governor in the governor's
  office or in the office of the secretary of state and may select the
  secretary of state as the coordinator.
         (c)  The coordinator shall work with the interagency work
  group established under Section 772.011, with local governments,
  metropolitan planning organizations, and other appropriate
  community organizations adjacent to the border of this state with
  the United Mexican States, and with comparable entities in Mexican
  states adjacent to that border to address the unique planning and
  capacity needs of those areas.  The coordinator shall assist those
  governments, organizations, and entities to identify and develop
  initiatives to address those needs.  Before January 1 of each year,
  the coordinator shall submit to the presiding officer of each house
  of the legislature a report of the coordinator's activities under
  this subsection during the preceding year.
         (d)  The coordinator shall:
               (1)  work with private industry and appropriate
  entities of Texas and the United States to require that low-sulfur
  fuel be sold along highways in Texas carrying increased traffic
  related to activities under the North American Free Trade
  Agreement; and
               (2)  work with representatives of the government of the
  United Mexican States and the governments of Mexican states
  bordering Texas to increase the use of low-sulfur fuel.
         (e)  The coordinator shall appoint a border mayor task force,
  to be named the Texas Good Neighbor Committee, consisting of the
  mayors from every municipality located in this state along the
  border between Texas and the United Mexican States.  The task force
  shall:
               (1)  advise the coordinator on key trade, security, and
  transportation-related issues important to the municipalities
  appointed to the task force;
               (2)  hold quarterly meetings with mayors from Mexico
  to:
                     (A)  increase:
                           (i)  cooperation;
                           (ii)  communication; and
                           (iii)  the flow of information;
                     (B)  identify problems; and
                     (C)  recommend solutions;
               (3)  seek assistance and input from private sector
  stakeholders involved in commerce to identify issues to address;
  and
               (4)  provide recommendations to assist the coordinator
  in carrying out the coordinator's statutory duties.
         SECTION 2.  (a)  Section 772.010, Government Code, as added
  by Chapter 429 (S.B. 1136), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
  Session, 1999, is repealed.
         (b)  Section 3(a), Chapter 1215 (H.B. 925), Acts of the 79th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, which reenacted and amended
  Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by Chapters 429 (S.B.
  1136) and 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
  Session, 1999, is repealed.
         SECTION 3.  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, 2015.