BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.H.B. 1079
86R31991 AAF-D	By: Price et al. (Perry)
	Transportation
	5/9/2019
	Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

H.B. 1079

1) Directs Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to form a Ports-to-Plains Advisory Committee that is made up of:

a) the county judges (or his or her designee who must be another county elected official or the director of the unified county road department) of each county from along the entire corridor including the counties of the I-27 split north of Amarillo.

b) the mayors of Amarillo, Big Spring, Carrizo Springs, Crystal City, Del Rio, Dumas, Eagle Pass, El Dorado, Lamesa, Laredo, Lubbock, San Angelo, Sonora, Sterling City, Stratford, and Tahoka. (Mayors may designate their city manager or assistant city manager.) Shall convene twice a year on a rotational basis between Lubbock and San Angelo.

2) In conjunction with the Ports-to-Plains Advisory Committee, to establish Segment Committees comprised of citizen volunteers divided geographically that are made up of representatives from the cities, counties, MPOs, ports, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, oil and gas industry, the trucking industry, and any other relevant stakeholder, to consider, in conjunction with TxDOT representatives from the federally-designated Ports-to-Plains Corridor. Each Segment Committee establishes priority recommendations for the transportation needs in their area and report them to the Advisory Committee by December 31, 2020.

3) The Segment Committees will study the following:

� ability for energy sector to get products to market; economic development impacts of Trade Corridor; area congestion relief; freight movement; and economic development and job creation;

� determine and prioritize the improvements and expansions that are warranted in order to promote safety and mobility; maximize the use of existing highways to the greatest extent possible; and protect private property;

� determine the areas which are preferable and suitable for interstate designation and study project costs and assess state, federal, local, and private funding sources for project identified in the plan; and

� report their findings and recommendations to the Segment Committee.

4) Require TxDOT to conduct an origin and destination study for traffic flows along the entire Ports-to-Plains Corridor. (Original Author's/Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

C.S.H.B. 1079 amends current law relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, including an evaluation of the feasibility of certain improvements to Interstate Highway 27.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. (a) Defines "advisory committee" as the Ports-to-Plains Advisory Committee (advisory committee), defines "department" as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and defines "improvement," "port of entry," and "ports-to-plains corridor" for purposes of this Act.

(b) Requires TxDOT to conduct a comprehensive study of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor. Requires the study to evaluate the feasibility of, and the costs and logistical matters associated with, improvements that create a continuous flow, four‑lane divided highway that meets interstate highway standards to the extent possible, including improvements that:

(1) extend Interstate Highway 27:

(A) from its southern terminus to Interstate Highway 20;

(B) from Interstate Highway 20 to Interstate Highway 10; and

(2) extend Interstate Highway 27:

(A) from its northern terminus to Dumas;

(B) from Dumas to Stratford; and

(3) extend Interstate Highway 27:

(A) from its northern terminus to Dumas;

(B) from Dumas to Stratford; and

(1) use the reports submitted to TxDOT by the advisory committee under Subsection (j) of this section; and

(2) hold quarterly public meetings on a rotational basis in Amarillo, Laredo, Lubbock, and San Angelo to gather public feedback on improvements or expansions to the Ports-to-Plains Corridor.

(d) Requires TxDOT to establish an advisory committee to assist TxDOT in conducting the study under Subsection (b) of this section.

(e) Provides that the advisory committee is composed of:

(1) the county judge, or an elected county official or the administrator of the county's road department, as designated by the county judge, of each county along the Port-to-Plains Corridor, including the counties along the possible extensions of Interstate Highway 27 described by Subsection (b) of this section; and

(2) the mayor, or the city manager or assistant city manager, as designated by the mayor, of Amarillo, Big Spring, Carrizo Springs, Dalhart, Del Rio, Dumas, Eagle Pass, Eldorado, Lamesa, Laredo, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Sonora, Sterling City, Stratford, and Tahoka.

(f) Requires the advisory committee to meet at least twice each year on a rotational basis in Lubbock and San Angelo.

(g) Requires TxDOT, in conjunction with the advisory committee, to establish segment committees for each geographic segment along the Port-to-Plains Corridor� as determined by TxDOT. Provides that the segment committees are composed of:

(1) volunteers who may represent:

(A) municipalities, counties, metropolitan planning organizations, ports, chambers of commerce, and economic development organizations along that segment of the Port-to-Plains Corridor;

(B) the oil and gas industry; and

(2) TxDOT representatives; and

(3) any other interested parties.

(h) Requires a segment committee established under Subsection (g) of this section for a segment along the Port-to-Plains Corridor to submit a report to the advisory committee providing input for the study conducted by TxDOT under Subsection (b) of this section. Requires the report to include:

(1) an examination of the ability of the energy industry to transport products to market;

(2) an evaluation of the economic development impacts of the Port-to-Plains Corridor, including whether the improvement or the expansion of the Port‑to‑Plains Corridor would create employment opportunities in this state;

(3) a determination of whether improvements or expansion of the Port-to-Plains Corridor would relieve traffic congestion in the segment;

(4) an examination of freight movement along the Ports-to-Plains Corridor;

(5) a determination and prioritization of improvements and expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor that are warranted in order to promote safety and mobility, while maximizing the use of existing highways to the greatest extent possible and striving to protect private property as much as possible;

(6) a determination of the areas that are preferable and suitable for interstate designation;

(7) an examination of project costs related to the improvement or expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor; and

(8) an assessment of federal, state, local, and private funding sources for a project improving or expanding the Ports-to-Plains Corridor.

(i) Requires each segment committee established under Subsection (g) of this section, not later than June 30, 2020, to submit to the advisory committee the report described by Subsection (h) of this section, including priority recommendations for improvement and expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor.

(j) Requires the advisory committee, not later than October 31, 2020, to review and compile the reports submitted by each segment committed under Subsection (i) of this section and submit to TxDOT:

(1) the reports submitted by each segment committee; and

(2) a summary and any recommendations based on those reports.

(k) Requires the advisory committee and each segment committee to conduct extensive public involvement campaigns for feedback on preliminary recommendations made by the committees before submitting the reports under Subsections (i) and (j) of this section.

(l) Requires TxDOT, not later than January 1, 2021, to submit a report on the results of the study conducted under Subsection (b) of this section to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the presiding officer of each standing committee of the legislature with jurisdiction over transportation matters.�

(m) Provides that this Act expires August 31, 2021.

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.