Amend CSSB 1500 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  (a) In this section, "institute" means the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

(b)  The institute, in consultation with the comptroller of public accounts and the standing committees of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the institute, shall study waterborne commerce economics of navigation districts in thisstate.

(c)  In conducting the study, the institute shall, for each navigation district:

(1)  analyze the district's:

(A)  collection of taxes received for goods and services;

(B)  assessment of fees imposed by the district;

(C)  cargoes and commodities;

(D)  navigation safety; and

(E)  primary expenditures; and

(2)  collect the following information:

(A)  annual fee income;

(B)  consistency of fee income;

(C)  historical rate of growth in the previous 15 years for tax income;

(D)  historical rate of growth in the previous 15 years for fee income;

(E)  fee income sources;

(F)  expenditures based on the following categories:

(i)  labor for maintenance and operations;

(ii)  materials for maintenance and operations;

(iii)  materials for expansion projects;

(iv)  consumables;

(v)  cost overruns;

(vi)  utilities;

(vii)  capital expenditures; and

(viii)  project expenditures;

(ix)  operating expenditures;

(G)  direct economic impacts to the state and local economies from the district's activities;

(H)  projected economic growth over the next 10 years;

(I)  an assessment of all import and export commodities; and

(J)  a comprehensive analysis of security and resiliency of cargoes, vessels, containers, and navigation.

(d)  Not later than December 1, 2024, the institute shall prepare a written report with the information described by this section, a summary of the institute's findings, and recommendations for legislative or other action and submit the report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the chairs of the committees of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the institute.

(e)  This section expires January 1, 2025.