Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1317 by King, Ken (Relating to the designation of U.S. Highway 287 in Claude as the Charles H. Roan Memorial Highway.), As Passed 2nd House
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to design, construct, and erect highway markers to assign memorial designations on certain road segments on the state highway system, subject to Transportation Code §225.021(c).
The bill would amend the Government Code to require the Texas Historical Commission (THC) to develop a Tom Lea Trail Program to commemorate the life and art of Tom Lea. At a minimum, the program would include a designation of locations that are historically significant to the life and art of Tom Lea, adoption and use of an icon, symbol, or other identifying device to show a designation under the program, and the development of itineraries and maps to guide tourists to locations designated under the program. The bill would allow THC to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office and TxDOT to implement the program. The bill would specify that THC may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and other donations from any source to implement the program and that THC is not required to promote or market the Tom Lea Trail unless it receives funds from private entities for that purpose.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2017.
Section 225.021 (c), Transportation Code, specifies that TxDOT may not design, construct, or erect the marker unless a grant or donation of funds is made to the department to cover the cost. Based on the analysis of TxDOT, it is assumed any duties associated with the implementation of the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within the agency's existing resources.
THC, TxDOT, and the Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor assume any costs associated with implementing the bill's provisions regarding the Tom Lea Trail Progam could be absorbed within current resources.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
300 Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor, 601 Department of Transportation, 808 Historical Commission