RESOLUTION ANALYSIS

C.S.H.J.R. 99

By: Canales

Pensions, Investments & Financial Services

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Transportation infrastructure is severely underfunded due to the size and needs of the state. A recent study showed that Texas is underinvesting in transportation by several billion dollars each year. The Texas Constitution gives the legislature the power to authorize, by general law, an incorporated city or town to issue bonds or notes for the purpose of financing the development or redevelopment of certain areas and to pledge increases in property tax revenues for the repayment of those bonds or notes. However, the constitution does not expressly give the legislature the power to grant that same authority to counties. C.S.H.J.R. 99 seeks to eliminate this discrepancy between the treatment of cities and counties with regard to this authority and provide counties more tools to develop and redevelop transportation and infrastructure.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

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

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.J.R. 99 proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution to authorize the legislature by general law to authorize a county to issue bonds or notes to finance the development or redevelopment of an unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted area within the county and to pledge for repayment of those bonds or notes increases in property tax revenues imposed on property in the area by the county.

ELECTION DATE

The constitutional amendment proposed by this joint resolution will be submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 2, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.J.R. 99 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 resolution.

The substitute revises the proposed amendment's ballot language by specifying that the county-financed development or redevelopment in unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted areas in the county being authorized by the amendment is of transportation or infrastructure in those areas.