Amend CSSB 312 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  Sections 201.051(a) and (b), Transportation Code, are amended to read as follows:

(a)  The Texas Transportation Commission consists of seven [five] members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate.

(b)  The members shall be appointed from [to reflect the] diverse geographic regions and population groups of this state. One member must reside in a rural area and be a registered voter of a county with a population of less than 150,000.

SECTION ____.  Section 201.052, Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 201.052.  TERMS. Members of the commission serve staggered six-year terms, with the terms of either two [one] or three [two] members expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year.

SECTION ____.  Promptly after this Act takes effect, the governor shall appoint two additional members to the Texas Transportation Commission. In appointing those members, the governor shall appoint one person to a term expiring February 1, 2021, and one person to a term expiring February 1, 2023.

SECTION ____.  The changes in law made by this Act regarding the qualifications of members of the Texas Transportation Commission do not affect the entitlement of a member serving on the commission immediately before the effective date of this Act to continue to serve for the remainder of the member's term. As the terms of commission members expire, the governor shall appoint or reappoint a member who has the qualifications required for a member under Section 201.051, Transportation Code, as amended by this Act.