Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3378 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R11578 GRM-D
2	2	By: Lucio III H.B. No. 3378
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the border commerce coordinator.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by
10	10	Chapter 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
11	11	Session, 1999, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 772.010. BORDER COMMERCE COORDINATOR. (a) The
13	13	governor shall designate a border commerce coordinator in the
14	14	governor's office or the office of the secretary of state as
15	15	determined by the governor. The coordinator shall:
16	16	(1) examine trade issues between the United States,
17	17	Mexico, and Canada;
18	18	(2) act as an ombudsman for government agencies within
19	19	the Texas and Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by
20	20	improving communication and cooperation between federal, state,
21	21	and local governments;
22	22	(3) work with federal officials to resolve
23	23	transportation issues involving infrastructure, including roads
24	24	and bridges, to allow for the efficient movement of goods and people
25	25	across the border between Texas and Mexico;
26	26	(4) work with federal officials to create a unified
27	27	federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs;
28	28	(5) work to increase funding for the North American
29	29	Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater
30	30	facilities; [and]
31	31	(6) explore the sale of excess electric power from
32	32	Texas to Mexico;
33	33	(7) study the flow of commerce at ports of entry
34	34	between this state and Mexico, including the movement of commercial
35	35	vehicles across the border, and establish a plan to aid that
36	36	commerce and improve the movement of those vehicles;
37	37	(8) work to identify problems associated with border
38	38	truck inspections and related trade and transportation
39	39	infrastructure and develop recommendations for addressing those
40	40	problems;
41	41	(9) work with the appropriate state and federal
42	42	agencies to develop initiatives to mitigate congestion at ports of
43	43	entry; and
44	44	(10) develop recommendations designed to:
45	45	(A) increase trade by attracting new business
46	46	ventures;
47	47	(B) support expansion of existing and new
48	48	industries; and
49	49	(C) address workforce training needs.
50	50	(b) The governor shall appoint a border commerce
51	51	coordinator to serve at the will of the governor in the governor's
52	52	office or in the office of the secretary of state and may select the
53	53	secretary of state as the coordinator.
54	54	(c) The coordinator shall work with the interagency work
55	55	group established under Section 772.011, with local governments,
56	56	metropolitan planning organizations, and other appropriate
57	57	community organizations adjacent to the border of this state with
58	58	the United Mexican States, and with comparable entities in Mexican
59	59	states adjacent to that border to address the unique planning and
60	60	capacity needs of those areas. The coordinator shall assist those
61	61	governments, organizations, and entities to identify and develop
62	62	initiatives to address those needs. Before January 1 of each year,
63	63	the coordinator shall submit to the presiding officer of each house
64	64	of the legislature a report of the coordinator's activities under
65	65	this subsection during the preceding year.
66	66	(d) The coordinator shall:
67	67	(1) work with private industry and appropriate
68	68	entities of Texas and the United States to require that low-sulfur
69	69	fuel be sold along highways in Texas carrying increased traffic
70	70	related to activities under the North American Free Trade
71	71	Agreement; and
72	72	(2) work with representatives of the government of the
73	73	United Mexican States and the governments of Mexican states
74	74	bordering Texas to increase the use of low-sulfur fuel.
75	75	(e) The coordinator shall appoint a border mayor task force,
76	76	to be named the Texas Good Neighbor Committee, consisting of the
77	77	mayors from every municipality located in this state along the
78	78	border between Texas and the United Mexican States. The task force
79	79	shall:
80	80	(1) advise the coordinator on key trade, security, and
81	81	transportation-related issues important to the municipalities
82	82	appointed to the task force;
83	83	(2) hold quarterly meetings with mayors from Mexico
84	84	to:
85	85	(A) increase:
86	86	(i) cooperation;
87	87	(ii) communication; and
88	88	(iii) the flow of information;
89	89	(B) identify problems; and
90	90	(C) recommend solutions;
91	91	(3) seek assistance and input from private sector
92	92	stakeholders involved in commerce to identify issues to address;
93	93	and
94	94	(4) provide recommendations to assist the coordinator
95	95	in carrying out the coordinator's statutory duties.
96	96	SECTION 2. (a) Section 772.010, Government Code, as added
97	97	by Chapter 429 (S.B. 1136), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
98	98	Session, 1999, is repealed.
99	99	(b) Section 3(a), Chapter 1215 (H.B. 925), Acts of the 79th
100	100	Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, which reenacted and amended
101	101	Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by Chapters 429 (S.B.
102	102	1136) and 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
103	103	Session, 1999, is repealed.
104	104	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
105	105	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
106	106	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
107	107	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
108	108	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.