Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1389 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Lucio, et al. S.B. No. 1389
2		-	(Lucio III)
	1	+	S.B. No. 1389
3	2
4	3
5		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	4		AN ACT
7	5		relating to the border commerce coordinator.
8	6		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	7		SECTION 1. Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by
10	8		Chapter 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
11	9		Session, 1999, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:
12	10		Sec. 772.010. BORDER COMMERCE COORDINATOR. (a) The
13	11		governor shall designate a border commerce coordinator in the
14	12		governor's office or the office of the secretary of state as
15	13		determined by the governor. The coordinator shall:
16	14		(1) examine trade issues between the United States,
17	15		Mexico, and Canada;
18	16		(2) act as an ombudsman for government agencies within
19	17		the Texas and Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by
20	18		improving communication and cooperation between federal, state,
21	19		and local governments;
22	20		(3) work with federal officials to resolve
23	21		transportation issues involving infrastructure, including roads
24	22		and bridges, to allow for the efficient movement of goods and people
25	23		across the border between Texas and Mexico;
26	24		(4) work with federal officials to create a unified
27	25		federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs;
28	26		(5) work to increase funding for the North American
29	27		Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater
30	28		facilities; [and]
31	29		(6) explore the sale of excess electric power from
32	30		Texas to Mexico;
33	31		(7) study the flow of commerce at ports of entry
34	32		between this state and Mexico, including the movement of commercial
35	33		vehicles across the border, and establish a plan to aid that
36	34		commerce and improve the movement of those vehicles;
37	35		(8) work to identify problems associated with border
38	36		truck inspections and related trade and transportation
39	37		infrastructure and develop recommendations for addressing those
40	38		problems;
41	39		(9) work with the appropriate state and federal
42	40		agencies to develop initiatives to mitigate congestion at ports of
43	41		entry; and
44	42		(10) develop recommendations designed to:
45	43		(A) increase trade by attracting new business
46	44		ventures;
47	45		(B) support expansion of existing and new
48	46		industries; and
49	47		(C) address workforce training needs.
50	48		(b) The governor shall appoint a border commerce
51	49		coordinator to serve at the will of the governor in the governor's
52	50		office or in the office of the secretary of state and may select the
53	51		secretary of state as the coordinator.
54	52		(c) The coordinator shall work with the interagency work
55	53		group established under Section 772.011, with local governments,
56	54		metropolitan planning organizations, and other appropriate
57	55		community organizations adjacent to the border of this state with
58	56		Mexico, and with comparable entities in Mexican states adjacent to
59	57		that border to address the unique planning and capacity needs of
60	58		those areas. The coordinator shall assist those governments,
61	59		organizations, and entities to identify and develop initiatives to
62	60		address those needs. Before January 1 of each year, the coordinator
63	61		shall submit to the presiding officer of each house of the
64	62		legislature a report of the coordinator's activities under this
65	63		subsection during the preceding year.
66	64		(d) The coordinator shall:
67	65		(1) work with private industry and appropriate
68	66		entities of Texas and the United States to require that low-sulfur
69	67		fuel be sold along highways in Texas carrying increased traffic
70	68		related to activities under the North American Free Trade
71	69		Agreement; and
72	70		(2) work with representatives of the government of
73	71		Mexico and the governments of Mexican states bordering Texas to
74	72		increase the use of low-sulfur fuel.
75	73		(e) The coordinator shall appoint a border mayor task force,
76	74		to be named the Texas Good Neighbor Committee, consisting of the
77	75		mayors from every municipality located in this state along the
78	76		border between Texas and Mexico that has an adjoining sister city in
79	77		Mexico. The task force shall:
80	78		(1) advise the coordinator on key trade, security, and
81	79		transportation-related issues important to the municipalities
82	80		appointed to the task force;
83	81		(2) hold quarterly meetings with mayors from Mexico
84	82		to:
85	83		(A) increase:
86	84		(i) cooperation;
87	85		(ii) communication; and
88	86		(iii) the flow of information;
89	87		(B) identify problems; and
90	88		(C) recommend solutions;
91	89		(3) seek assistance and input from private sector
92	90		stakeholders involved in commerce to identify issues to address;
93	91		and
94	92		(4) provide recommendations to assist the coordinator
95	93		in carrying out the coordinator's statutory duties.
96	94		SECTION 2. (a) Section 772.010, Government Code, as added
97	95		by Chapter 429 (S.B. 1136), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
98	96		Session, 1999, is repealed.
99	97		(b) Section 3(a), Chapter 1215 (H.B. 925), Acts of the 79th
100	98		Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, which reenacted and amended
101	99		Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by Chapters 429 (S.B.
102	100		1136) and 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
103	101		Session, 1999, is repealed.
104	102		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
105	103		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
106	104		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
107	105		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
108	106		Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
	107	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	108	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	109	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1389 passed the Senate on
	110	+	May 4, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.
	111	+	______________________________
	112	+	Secretary of the Senate
	113	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1389 passed the House on
	114	+	May 21, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 93, Nays 47, one
	115	+	present not voting.
	116	+	______________________________
	117	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	118	+	Approved:
	119	+	______________________________
	120	+	Date
	121	+	______________________________
	122	+	Governor