BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 4021 |
By: Deshotel |
Texas Ports, Innovation & Infrastructure, Select |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Concerned observers warn that Texas ports and the state's manufacturing industry face an unprecedented competitive threat as ports in neighboring states race to improve their port depth and infrastructure to meet and seize fast-approaching opportunities. C.S.H.B. 4021 seeks to keep Texas competitive in this regard by laying the groundwork for future port financing options and by creating the ship channel improvement revolving fund.
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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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Transportation Commission in SECTION 4 of this bill.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 4021 amends the Transportation Code to establish the ship channel improvement revolving fund as an account in the general revenue fund administered by the Texas Transportation Commission. The bill sets out the sources of money required to be credited to the fund, restricts appropriation of money in the fund to the commission for the purposes of administering the fund and the revolving loan program established under the bill's provisions, and subjects the financial transactions of the fund to audit by the state auditor. The bill requires the commission by rule to establish a revolving loan program to use money from the fund to finance qualified projects for navigation districts. The bill requires a project, for purposes of qualifying, to deepen or widen a ship channel, to be authorized by the United States Congress, and to meet any other standards provided by commission rule. The bill establishes that a project for maintenance dredging is not a qualified project under the revolving loan program.
C.S.H.B. 4021 replaces the authorization for the commission to use money from the Texas mobility fund to provide funding, including through a loan, for a port security project, a port transportation project, or certain projects eligible for port development funding with an authorization for the commission to use money from that fund to provide funding for the construction or improvement of public roadways that will enhance connectivity to ports. The bill increases the number of members serving on the port authority advisory committee from seven to nine by adding one member appointed by the lieutenant governor and one member appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 4021 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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