BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 384 |
By: Bonnen, Dennis |
Transportation |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties contend that recently enacted legislation inadvertently removed the authorization for certain counties to regulate the operation of utility vehicles. C.S.H.B. 384 seeks to address this issue by reinstating this authorization.
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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. 384 amends the Transportation Code, as effective September 1, 2017, to authorize the commissioners court of the following counties to allow an operator to operate a utility vehicle on all or part of a public highway that is located in the unincorporated area of the applicable county and has a speed limit of not more than 35 miles per hour: a county that borders or contains a portion of the Red River; a county that borders or contains a portion of the Guadalupe River and contains a part of a barrier island that borders the Gulf of Mexico; and a county that is adjacent to such a county, as immediately aforementioned, that has a population of less than 37,000 and contains a part of a barrier island or peninsula that borders the Gulf of Mexico. The bill requires such a utility vehicle to be equipped with headlamps, taillamps, reflectors, a parking brake, and mirrors. The bill removes utility vehicles from the types of vehicles that are subject to statutory provisions relating to the operation of certain off-highway vehicles.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2017, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, the 91st day after the last day of the legislative session.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 384 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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