BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2578

By: Thompson, Ed

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised that restrictions imposed on certain tolling fees in recent legislation may harm the financial stability of tolling projects for which the contract was awarded before that legislation was passed. C.S.H.B. 2578 seeks to remedy this situation by exempting toll collection by a private entity or subcontractor under a comprehensive development agreement made before a certain date from the applicable statutory provisions.

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

C.S.H.B. 2578 amends the Transportation Code to exempt toll collection by a private participant or subcontractor under a comprehensive development agreement entered into before September 1, 2017, from statutory provisions governing the use of video billing or other tolling methods to permit the registered owner of a vehicle to pay a toll at a later date after receiving an invoice.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2578 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes an exemption from the applicable statutory provisions for toll collection by a subcontractor under a comprehensive development agreement entered into before September 1, 2017. The substitute does not include a specification that the comprehensive development agreement under which toll collection is exempt is such an agreement entered into with the Texas Department of Transportation.