| 1 | 1 | | 84R2374 MTB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Larson H.B. No. 529 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the composition of the Texas Transportation Commission |
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| 8 | 8 | | and the selection of members of that commission. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 201.051(a), Transportation Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) The Texas Transportation Commission consists of three |
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| 13 | 13 | | [five] members elected statewide [appointed by the governor with |
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| 14 | 14 | | the advice and consent of the senate]. |
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| 15 | 15 | | SECTION 2. Section 201.052, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 16 | 16 | | to read as follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 201.052. TERMS. Members of the commission serve |
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| 18 | 18 | | staggered six-year terms, with the term [terms] of [either] one |
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| 19 | 19 | | member [or two members] expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered |
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| 20 | 20 | | year. |
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| 21 | 21 | | SECTION 3. Section 201.053(a), Transportation Code, is |
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| 22 | 22 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (a) The members of the commission shall elect from among |
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| 24 | 24 | | their membership [governor shall designate one commissioner as] the |
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| 25 | 25 | | chair of the commission, who shall serve as presiding officer of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | commission. |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 4. Section 201.057(a), Transportation Code, is |
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| 28 | 28 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (a) It is a ground for removal from the commission if a |
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| 30 | 30 | | commissioner: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (1) does not have at the time of taking office or |
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| 32 | 32 | | maintain during service on the commission the qualifications |
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| 33 | 33 | | required by Section 201.051; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) violates a prohibition provided by Section |
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| 35 | 35 | | 201.051; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) cannot discharge the commissioner's duties for a |
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| 37 | 37 | | substantial part of the term for which the commissioner is elected |
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| 38 | 38 | | or appointed because of illness or disability; or |
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| 39 | 39 | | (4) is absent from more than half of the regularly |
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| 40 | 40 | | scheduled commission meetings that the commissioner is eligible to |
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| 41 | 41 | | attend during a calendar year, unless the absence is excused by |
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| 42 | 42 | | majority vote of the commission. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 5. Sections 201.059(a) and (c), Transportation |
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| 44 | 44 | | Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (a) To be eligible to take office as a member of the |
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| 46 | 46 | | commission, a person elected or appointed to the commission must |
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| 47 | 47 | | complete at least one course of a training program that complies |
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| 48 | 48 | | with this section. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (c) A person elected or appointed to the commission is |
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| 50 | 50 | | entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses incurred in attending |
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| 51 | 51 | | the training program, as provided by the General Appropriations Act |
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| 52 | 52 | | and as if the person were a member of the commission. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 6. Section 52.092(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 54 | 54 | | read as follows: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (c) Statewide offices of the state government shall be |
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| 56 | 56 | | listed in the following order: |
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| 57 | 57 | | (1) governor; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (2) lieutenant governor; |
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| 59 | 59 | | (3) attorney general; |
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| 60 | 60 | | (4) comptroller of public accounts; |
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| 61 | 61 | | (5) commissioner of the General Land Office; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (6) commissioner of agriculture; |
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| 63 | 63 | | (7) commissioner of transportation; |
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| 64 | 64 | | (8) railroad commissioner; |
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| 65 | 65 | | (9) [(8)] chief justice, supreme court; |
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| 66 | 66 | | (10) [(9)] justice, supreme court; |
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| 67 | 67 | | (11) [(10)] presiding judge, court of criminal |
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| 68 | 68 | | appeals; |
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| 69 | 69 | | (12) [(11)] judge, court of criminal appeals. |
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| 70 | 70 | | SECTION 7. Sections 201.051(b), (b-1), (c), and (i), |
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| 71 | 71 | | Transportation Code, are repealed. |
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| 72 | 72 | | SECTION 8. (a) The first members of the Texas |
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| 73 | 73 | | Transportation Commission elected under the changes in law made by |
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| 74 | 74 | | this Act shall be elected at the general election held in November |
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| 75 | 75 | | 2016 to serve for a term that begins February 1, 2017. The members |
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| 76 | 76 | | elected at that election shall draw lots to determine which |
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| 77 | 77 | | member's term expires February 1, 2019, which member's term expires |
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| 78 | 78 | | February 1, 2021, and which member's term expires February 1, 2023. |
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| 79 | 79 | | (b) Until the members of the Texas Transportation |
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| 80 | 80 | | Commission elected under this Act take office, the governor will |
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| 81 | 81 | | continue to appoint members to the Texas Transportation Commission |
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| 82 | 82 | | and those members shall, unless otherwise removed as provided by |
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| 83 | 83 | | law, continue in office under the prior law that governed the |
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| 84 | 84 | | composition of the Texas Transportation Commission, and that prior |
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| 85 | 85 | | law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 86 | 86 | | SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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