BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2315

By: Thompson, Ed

Homeland Security & Public Safety

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised about the difficulties involved in obtaining a title for a trailer used for temporary housing following a disaster. The report issued by the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas, which was established following Hurricane Harvey, included a recommendation to explore ways to solve the issue of titling trailers used in the FEMA temporary housing program. H.B. 2315 seeks to address this recommendation by providing for the automatic issuance of statements of ownership and titles for certain manufactured homes used to provide temporary housing in response to a natural disaster or other declared emergency. 

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs in SECTION 1 of this bill and to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles in SECTION 2 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2315 amends the Occupations Code to exempt from the application of certain statutory provisions relating to manufactured home statements of ownership the purchase of a manufactured home that is purchased by a federal governmental agency and used to provide temporary housing in response to a natural disaster or other declared emergency. The bill requires the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to adopt rules for the application for and automatic issuance of a statement of ownership of such a manufactured home.

H.B. 2315 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to establish by rule a process to automatically issue a title to a government agency for a travel trailer used by the agency to provide temporary housing in response to a natural disaster or other declared emergency. The bill authorizes those rules to provide for the issuance of a title for such a travel trailer that is owned or operated by the United States or transferred to a state agency from the United States.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.