BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4142

By: Wharton

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The bill author has informed the committee that the Department of Public Safety operates a weigh station on I-45 in Walker County and that trucks use SH-75 to intentionally avoid the weigh station when it is open, which causes a significant traffic issue for the city of New Waverly as well as a safety risk for the schools and businesses located on SH-75. Current state law limits the counties in which a constable or deputy constable may be designated as a weight enforcement officer. The bill author has also informed the committee that there is no deterrent in place for commercial vehicles illegally avoiding the weigh station and cutting through the small community of New Waverly. H.B. 4142 seeks to address this issue by authorizing the commissioners court of a county with a population of more than 75,000 but less than 90,000 that meets other specified criteria to designate a constable or deputy constable as a weight enforcement officer.

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

H.B. 4142 amends the Transportation Code to authorize a county commissioners court to designate a constable or deputy constable of the county as a weight enforcement officer in a county that has a population of more than 75,000 but less than 90,000 and is adjacent to a county that meets the following criteria:

· is adjacent to a county with a population of 3.3 million or more; and

· contains a planned community that has 20,000 or more acres of land, that was originally established under the federal National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970, and that is subject to restrictive covenants containing property or annual variable budget based assessments on real property.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.