Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2216 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	By: Nichols S.B. No. 2216
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to state fiscal matters regarding business and economic
7	7	development.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	ARTICLE 1. REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURES AND IMPOSITION OF CHARGES
10	10	GENERALLY
11	11	SECTION 1.01. This article applies to any state agency that
12	12	receives an appropriation under Article VII of the General
13	13	Appropriations Act.
14	14	SECTION 1.02. Notwithstanding any other statute of this
15	15	state, each state agency to which this article applies is
16	16	authorized to reduce or recover expenditures by:
17	17	(1) consolidating any reports or publications the
18	18	agency is required to make and filing or delivering any of those
19	19	reports or publications exclusively by electronic means;
20	20	(2) extending the effective period of any license,
21	21	permit, or registration the agency grants or administers;
22	22	(3) entering into a contract with another governmental
23	23	entity or with a private vendor to carry out any of the agency's
24	24	duties;
25	25	(4) adopting additional eligibility requirements for
26	26	persons who receive benefits under any law the agency administers
27	27	to ensure that those benefits are received by the most deserving
28	28	persons consistent with the purposes for which the benefits are
29	29	provided;
30	30	(5) providing that any communication between the
31	31	agency and another person and any document required to be delivered
32	32	to or by the agency, including any application, notice, billing
33	33	statement, receipt, or certificate, may be made or delivered by
34	34	e-mail or through the Internet; and
35	35	(6) adopting and collecting fees or charges to cover
36	36	any costs the agency incurs in performing its lawful functions.
37	37	ARTICLE 2. FISCAL MATTERS REGARDING TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS AND
38	38	ACTIVITIES
39	39	SECTION 2.01. Section 201.601, Transportation Code, is
40	40	amended by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
41	41	(g) The plan must include a component that evaluates future
42	42	federal funding opportunities for all modes of transportation and
43	43	identifies actions necessary to maximize the total amount of
44	44	federal funds received in the future for transportation
45	45	improvements in this state.
46	46	SECTION 2.02. Subchapter H, Chapter 201, Transportation
47	47	Code, is amended by adding Section 201.623 to read as follows:
48	48	Sec. 201.623. COOPERATION WITH LOCAL PLANNING ENTITIES TO
49	49	MAXIMIZE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PROJECTS. The department shall work
50	50	and plan with local transportation planning entities to maximize
51	51	the amount of federal funding awarded for projects in this state by
52	52	identifying and pursuing projects that are eligible for federal
53	53	grant programs, including the scenic byways program.
54	54	ARTICLE 3. FISCAL MATTERS REGARDING PERMIT FEES
55	55	SECTION 3.01. Subchapter A, Chapter 623, Transportation
56	56	Code, is amended by adding Section 623.002 to read as follows:
57	57	Sec. 623.004. EVALUATION OF PERMIT FEES. (a) The
58	58	department shall evaluate highway use in this state by oversize or
59	59	overweight vehicles, calculate the cost of damage to highways in
60	60	this state caused by those vehicles, and determine whether:
61	61	(1) the fees charged for permits issued under this
62	62	chapter are adequate to offset the costs of damage to highways
63	63	caused by those vehicles and recommend any fee adjustments for the
64	64	permits to reflect the costs of damage to highways caused by those
65	65	vehicles; and
66	66	(2) vehicles currently exempt from permit
67	67	requirements under this chapter should be required to obtain a
68	68	permit to operate on roads or highways in this state.
69	69	(b) Not later than October 1 of each even-numbered year, the
70	70	department shall report its findings to:
71	71	(1) the Legislative Budget Board; and
72	72	(2) the governor.
73	73	SECTION 3.02. Section 623.077, Transportation Code, is
74	74	amended to read as follows:
75	75	Sec. 623.077. HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE FEE. (a) An applicant
76	76	for a permit under this subchapter, other than a permit under
77	77	Section 623.071(c)(3), must also pay a highway maintenance fee in
78	78	an amount determined according to vehicle weight and distance
79	79	traveled. [the following table:
80	80	[Vehicle Weight in Pounds Fee [Vehicle Weight in Pounds Fee
81	81	[Vehicle Weight in Pounds Fee
82	82	[80,001 to 120,000 $150 [80,001 to 120,000 $150
83	83	[80,001 to 120,000 $150
84	84	[120,001 to 160,000 $225 [120,001 to 160,000 $225
85	85	[120,001 to 160,000 $225
86	86	[160,001 to 200,000 $300 [160,001 to 200,000 $300
87	87	[160,001 to 200,000 $300
88	88	[200,001 and above $375] [200,001 and above $375]
89	89	[200,001 and above $375]
90	90	(b) The department shall adopt rules to implement this
91	91	section and establish a schedule of rates, based on miles traveled,
92	92	for all vehicle weight categories that provides for an increase in
93	93	the rates according to the weight of a vehicle.
94	94	(c) The department shall send each fee collected under
95	95	Subsection (a) to the comptroller, who shall deposit:
96	96	(1) 90 percent of the fee to the credit of the state
97	97	highway fund; and
98	98	(2) 10 percent of the fee to the credit of the Texas
99	99	Department of Motor Vehicles fund.
100	100	SECTION 3.03. (a) The Texas Department of Transportation
101	101	shall adopt rules implementing Section 623.077, Transportation
102	102	Code, as amended by this article, not later than January 1, 2018.
103	103	(b) Section 623.077(a), Transportation Code, as amended by
104	104	this article, applies only to an application for a permit submitted
105	105	under Subchapter D, Chapter 623, Transportation Code, to the Texas
106	106	Department of Transportation on or after January 1, 2018. An
107	107	application for a permit submitted before January 1, 2018, is
108	108	governed by the law in effect on the date the application was
109	109	submitted, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
110	110	ARTICLE 4. ARTICLE VII EMPLOYEES
111	111	SECTION 4.01. An employee of an agency appropriated funds
112	112	under Article VII of the General Appropriations Act is not entitled
113	113	to an amount from the state for expenses, per diem, travel, or
114	114	salary that exceeds the amount authorized for those purposes by the
115	115	General Appropriations Act.
116	116	SECTION 2.02. An employee of an agency appropriated funds
117	117	under Article VII of the General Appropriations Act is not entitled
118	118	to an amount from the state for a salary, a salary supplement,
119	119	office expenses or reimbursement of office expenses, or travel that
120	120	exceeds the amount authorized for those purposes by the General
121	121	Appropriations Act.
122	122	Article 5. EFFECTIVE DATE
123	123	SECTION 5.4.01. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
124	124
125	125	[Vehicle Weight in Pounds Fee
126	126
127	127	[80,001 to 120,000 $150
128	128
129	129	[120,001 to 160,000 $225
130	130
131	131	[160,001 to 200,000 $300
132	132
133	133	[200,001 and above $375]