BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1774

By: Middleton

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been that suggested that the ship channel improvement revolving fund, which was created to assist Texas ports in the development of their channels, unintentionally omitted certain ports from participating in the program, such as the Port of Galveston. H.B. 1774 seeks to address this issue by expanding the entities that can benefit from participating in the program.

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.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1774 amends the Transportation Code to include qualified port improvement and facility projects of a municipality that has a population of more than 5,000 and is located on the Gulf of Mexico or a channel, canal, bay, or inlet connected to that gulf or of a board of trustees in which the management and control of such a facility project is vested among the qualified projects for which the Texas Transportation Commission is required by rule to establish a revolving loan program to use money from the ship channel improvement revolving fund to finance.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.