BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 1709

By: Hinojosa, Adam

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The bill sponsor has informed the committee that law enforcement officers in Nueces County have requested the designation of a portion of Farm to Market Road 70 as the Los Robles Trail, which would make finding a person who is lost in the area easier by providing a reference point. C.S.S.B. 1709 seeks to address this issue by designating a portion of Farm to Market Road 70 in Nueces County as the Los Robles Trail.

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.S.B. 1709 amends the Transportation Code to designate the portion of Farm to Market Road 70 in Nueces County between its intersection with State Highway 44 and its intersection with Farm to Market Road 1833 as the Los Robles Trail, in addition to any other designation. The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), subject to a grant or donation of funds, to do the following:

· design and construct four markers indicating the designation as the Los Robles Trail and any other appropriate information; and

· erect a marker at each end of the highway and at appropriate intermediate sites along the highway.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

COMPARISON OF SENATE ENGROSSED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.S.B. 1709 may differ from the engrossed in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.

With respect to the requirement for TxDOT, subject to a grant or donation of funds, to design and construct markers indicating the designation of the applicable portion of Farm to Market Road 70 as the Los Robles Trail and any other appropriate information, the substitute specifies that TxDOT design and construct four such markers, whereas the engrossed did not.