BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2769

By: Ortega

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that, while many counties may impose an additional vehicle registration fee to help fund long-term transportation projects, some counties, such as El Paso County, would like further authority to impose such a fee. C.S.H.B. 2769 seeks to address this issue by expanding the types of counties that may impose certain additional vehicle registration fees in the county.

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 Motor Vehicles in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2769 amends the Transportation Code to authorize the commissioners court of a county that borders the United Mexican States and has a population of more than 800,000 to impose by order, in addition to certain other fees, an optional county vehicle registration fee capped at $10 for a vehicle registered in the county if approved by a majority of the qualified voters of the county in an applicable election.

C.S.H.B. 2769 authorizes a vehicle that may be registered without payment of a registration fee to be registered without payment of the additional fee. The bill sets out provisions relating to the effect and removal of the fee and the collection of the fee. The bill requires the fee revenue to be sent to a regional mobility authority located in the county to fund certain long-term transportation projects in the county that are included in a plan approved by the metropolitan planning organization that serves the county. The bill requires the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to adopt rules necessary to administer registration for a vehicle being registered in a county imposing such a fee.

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. 2769 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 does not include an amendment to current law that authorizes the applicable county to impose the additional fee but sets out a provision codifying that authorization in a separate statutory provision instead and revises the authorization by:

· lowering the cap on the fee; and

· changing the entity to which fee revenue is sent.

The substitute includes an authorization for fee revenue to be used to fund certain long-term transportation projects in the county that are included in a plan approved by the metropolitan planning organization that serves the county.

The substitute includes a requirement for TxDMV to adopt rules necessary to administer registration for a vehicle being registered in a county imposing the fee.