Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3474 by Coleman (Relating to powers, duties, and services of counties and entities serving counties, certain voting procedures for county and other local elections, and the study of county population growth; imposing a civil penalty.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure, Election Code, Health and Safety Code, Local Government Code, Property Code, and Transportation Code relating to the powers and services of certain entities, voting procedures for certain elections, and the study of population growth.
The bill would require certain fee schedules relating to the compensation of counsel to be adopted by no later than the 90th day before the first day of the county fiscal year.
The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure as it relates to the transfer of certain inmates to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) following the pronouncement of the inmate's sentence.
The bill would set a deadline for submission by certain county election officials to enter into a contract to perform election services. The bill would amend certain election procedures of ballot by mail, early voting and the delivery of a market ballot.
The bill would authorize certain veterinarians, who do not have a veterinarian-client-patient relationship with an animal, to administer or supervise the administration of a rabies vaccine.
The bill would permit a commissioners court of a county to implement rules relating to prohibiting more than one single-family detached dwelling to be located on a lot and impose civil penalty violations associated with the rules and regulations adopted. The bill would permit a county to lease to another entity advertising space on personal property of the county or in a building leased by the county. The bill would permit a county to establish criteria of presumptive abandonment for tangible personal property found on certain county land.
Among other provisions, the bill would implement the recommendation in the report, "Improve Public Safety by Authorizing All Counties to Adopt Fire Codes" in the Legislative Budget Board's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report, submitted to the Eighty-fourth Texas Legislature, 2015. The bill would permit a commissioners court of a county to adopt fire code and rules and prohibit a commissioners court from permitting the county from leasing to another entity advertise space on certain places.
Under the provisions of the bill, a county would be authorized, when considering competitive sealed bids, to enter into a contract for certain purchases with a bidder whose principal place of business is in the county and whose bid is within 5 percent of the lowest bid if the lowest bid is from a business outside the county and contracting with the local bidder would provide the best combination price and other economic benefits to the county and to establish criteria of presumptive abandonment for tangible personal property found on certain county land.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code to authorize a sheriff or a deputy sheriff of a county that borders the United Mexican States with a population of 700,000 or more to apply for certain certification.
The bill would create The Taskforce to Study Population Growth, the Office of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House of Representatives would be required to provide staff for the taskforce.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Revenue gain from fines imposed and collected is not anticipated to have a significant fiscal impact.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 301 Office of the Governor, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 307 Secretary of State, 696 Department of Criminal Justice