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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to administration and authority of the Automobile Burglary |
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and Theft Prevention Authority. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 1(2), Article 4413(37), Revised |
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Statutes, as amended by Chapters 308 (H.B. 1887) and 927 (H.B. |
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3225), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, is |
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reenacted to read as follows: |
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(2) "Economic motor vehicle theft" means motor vehicle |
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burglary or theft committed for financial gain. |
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SECTION 2. Section 1(4), Article 4413(37), Revised |
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Statutes, is amended to read as follows: |
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(4) "Director" means the [executive] director of the |
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authority [Texas Department of Transportation]. |
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SECTION 3. Sections 6(j) and (k), Article 4413(37), Revised |
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Statutes, are amended to read as follows: |
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(j) The authority shall: |
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(1) develop and use standard performance measures for |
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each category of grants provided by the authority in order to assess |
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grantee success in achieving the purposes of this article; and |
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(2) ensure that grants are used to help increase: |
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(A) the recovery rate of stolen motor vehicles; |
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(B) the clearance rate of motor vehicle |
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burglaries and thefts; [and] |
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(C) the number of persons arrested for motor |
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vehicle burglary and theft; and |
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(D) the criminal enforcement of statutes listed |
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in Section 1001.002(b), Transportation Code. |
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(k) The authority shall allocate grant funds primarily |
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based on the number of motor vehicles stolen in, [or] the motor |
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vehicle burglary or theft rate across, or the need to reduce |
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criminal violations of statutes listed in Section 1001.002(b), |
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Transportation Code, throughout the state rather than based on |
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geographic distribution. |
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SECTION 4. Section 6, Article 4413(37), Revised Statutes, |
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is amended by adding Subsection (l) to read as follows: |
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(l) The authority shall appoint a director to serve at the |
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pleasure of the authority. The director shall perform all duties |
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assigned by the authority. |
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SECTION 5. Section 7(b), Article 4413(37), Revised |
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Statutes, as amended by Chapters 308 (H.B. 1887) and 927 (H.B. |
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3225), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, is |
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reenacted and amended to read as follows: |
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(b) The plan of operation must include: |
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(1) an assessment of the scope of the problems of motor |
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vehicle burglary or theft and economic motor vehicle theft, |
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including particular areas of the state where the problems are |
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greatest; |
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(2) an analysis of various methods of combating the |
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problems of motor vehicle burglary or theft and economic motor |
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vehicle theft; |
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(3) a plan for providing financial support to combat |
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motor vehicle burglary or theft, [and] economic motor vehicle |
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theft, and criminal violations of statutes listed in Section |
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1001.002(b), Transportation Code; and |
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(4) an estimate of the funds required to implement the |
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plan of operation. |
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SECTION 6. Section 8(a), Article 4413(37), Revised |
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Statutes, as amended by Chapters 308 (H.B. 1887) and 927 (H.B. |
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3225), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, is |
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reenacted and amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Money appropriated to the department for authority |
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purposes shall be used by the authority to pay the department for |
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administrative costs and to achieve the purposes of this article, |
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including: |
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(1) establishing and funding the motor vehicle |
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registration program required by Section 9 of this article; |
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(2) providing financial support to law enforcement |
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agencies for economic motor vehicle theft enforcement teams; |
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(3) providing financial support to law enforcement |
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agencies, local prosecutors, judicial agencies, and neighborhood, |
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community, business, and nonprofit organizations for programs |
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designed to reduce the incidence of economic motor vehicle theft; |
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(4) conducting educational programs designed to |
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inform motor vehicle owners of methods of preventing motor vehicle |
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burglary or theft; |
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(5) providing equipment, for experimental purposes, |
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to assist motor vehicle owners in preventing motor vehicle burglary |
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or theft; [and] |
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(6) establishing a uniform program to prevent stolen |
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motor vehicles from entering Mexico; and |
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(7) providing financial support to law enforcement |
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agencies, local prosecutors, and judicial agencies for the criminal |
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enforcement of statutes listed in Section 1001.002(b), |
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Transportation Code. |
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SECTION 7. Section 11(a), Article 4413(37), Revised |
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Statutes, as amended by Chapters 308 (H.B. 1887) and 927 (H.B. |
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3225), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, is |
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reenacted to read as follows: |
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(a) In this section, "motor vehicle theft rate" means the |
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ratio of motor vehicle burglaries or thefts in this state to the |
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number of motor vehicles in this state. The ratio shall be based on |
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statistical information provided by the Department of Public |
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Safety's uniform crime reporting division. |
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SECTION 8. Section 201.805(a), Transportation Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) The department shall annually publish in appropriate |
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media and on the department's Internet website in a format that |
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allows the information to be read into a commercially available |
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electronic database a statistical comparison of department |
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districts and the following information, calculated on a per capita |
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basis considering the most recent census data and listed for each |
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county and for the state for each fiscal year: |
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(1) the number of square miles; |
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(2) the number of vehicles registered; |
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(3) the population; |
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(4) daily vehicle miles; |
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(5) the number of centerline miles and lane miles; |
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(6) construction, maintenance, and contracted routine |
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and preventive maintenance expenditures; |
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(7) combined construction, maintenance, and |
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contracted routine and preventive maintenance expenditures; |
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(8) the number of district and division office |
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construction and maintenance employees; |
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(9) information regarding grant programs, including: |
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(A) [Automobile Theft Prevention Authority
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grants;
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[(B)] Routine Airport Maintenance Program |
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grants; |
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(B) [(C)] Public Transportation Grant Program |
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grants; |
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(C) [(D)] Medical Transportation Program grants; |
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and |
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(D) [(E)] aviation grants or aviation capital |
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improvement grants; |
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(10) approved State Infrastructure Bank loans; |
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(11) Texas Traffic Safety Program grants and |
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expenditures; |
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(12) the dollar amount of any pass-through toll |
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agreements; |
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(13) the percentage of highway construction projects |
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completed on time; |
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(14) the percentage of highway construction projects |
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that cost: |
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(A) more than the contract amount; and |
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(B) less than the contract amount; and |
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(15) a description of real property acquired by the |
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department through the exercise of eminent domain, including the |
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acreage of the property and the location of the property. |
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SECTION 9. Sections 6(j) and (k), Article 4413(37), Revised |
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Statutes, as amended by this Act, apply only in relation to a grant |
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for which the notice of funds availability or of funding |
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opportunity is made public on or after the effective date of this |
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Act. |
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SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |