Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2837 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.B. No. 2837
	1	+	By: Canales (Senate Sponsor - Hinojosa) H.B. No. 2837
	2	+	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 2019;
	3	+	April 29, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on
	4	+	Transportation; May 9, 2019, reported adversely, with favorable
	5	+	Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0;
	6	+	May 9, 2019, sent to printer.)
	7	+	Click here to see the committee vote
	8	+	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2837 By: Hinojosa
2	9
3	10
	11	+	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
4	12		AN ACT
5	13		relating to the operation of and equipment for vehicles.
6	14		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
7	15		SECTION 1. Section 522.004(a), Transportation Code, is
8	16		amended to read as follows:
9	17		(a) This chapter does not apply to:
10	18		(1) a vehicle that is controlled and operated by a
11	19		farmer and:
12	20		(A) used to transport agricultural products,
13	21		farm machinery, or farm supplies to or from a farm;
14	22		(B) used within 150 miles of the person's farm;
15	23		and
16	24		(C) not used in the operations of a common or
17	25		contract motor carrier;
18	26		(2) a fire-fighting or emergency vehicle necessary to
19	27		the preservation of life or property or the execution of emergency
20	28		governmental functions, whether operated by an employee of a
21	29		political subdivision or by a volunteer fire fighter;
22	30		(3) a military vehicle or a commercial motor vehicle,
23	31		when operated for military purposes by military personnel,
24	32		including:
25	33		(A) active duty military personnel, including
26	34		personnel serving in the United States Coast Guard; and
27	35		(B) members of the reserves and national guard on
28	36		active duty, including personnel on full-time national guard duty,
29	37		personnel engaged in part-time training, and national guard
30	38		military technicians;
31	39		(4) a recreational vehicle that is driven for personal
32	40		use;
33	41		(5) a vehicle that is owned, leased, or controlled by
34	42		an air carrier, as defined by Section 21.155, and that is driven or
35	43		operated exclusively by an employee of the air carrier only on the
36	44		premises of an airport, as defined by Section 22.001, on service
37	45		roads to which the public does not have access; [or]
38	46		(6) a vehicle used exclusively to transport seed
39	47		cotton modules or cotton burrs;
40	48		(7) a vehicle, including a vehicle described by
41	49		Section 504.502(i), that is:
42	50		(A) operated intrastate; and
43	51		(B) driven by an individual not for compensation
44	52		and not in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise; or
45	53		(8) a covered farm vehicle as defined by 49 C.F.R.
46	54		Section 390.5.
47	55		SECTION 2. Section 545.058(c), Transportation Code, is
48	56		amended to read as follows:
49	57		(c) A limitation in this section on driving on an improved
50	58		shoulder does not apply to:
51	59		(1) an authorized emergency vehicle responding to a
52	60		call;
53	61		(2) a police patrol; [or]
54	62		(3) a bicycle; or
55	63		(4) a slow-moving vehicle, as defined by Section
56	64		547.001.
57	65		SECTION 3. Section 545.156(a), Transportation Code, is
58	66		amended to read as follows:
59	67		(a) On the immediate approach of an authorized emergency
60	68		vehicle using audible and visual signals that meet the requirements
61	69		of Sections 547.305 and 547.702, or of a police vehicle lawfully
62	70		using only an audible or visual signal, an operator, unless
63	71		otherwise directed by a police officer, shall:
64	72		(1) yield the right-of-way;
65	73		(2) immediately drive to a position parallel to and as
66	74		close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway
67	75		clear of any intersection; and
68	76		(3) stop and remain standing until the authorized
69	77		emergency vehicle has passed.
70	78		SECTION 4. Section 546.002(b), Transportation Code, is
71	79		amended to read as follows:
72	80		(b) Sections 546.001(2), (3), and (4) apply [Section
73	81		546.001 applies] only when the operator is:
74	82		(1) responding to an emergency call;
75	83		(2) pursuing an actual or suspected violator of the
76	84		law;
77	85		(3) responding to but not returning from a fire alarm;
78	86		(4) directing or diverting traffic for public safety
79	87		purposes; or
80	88		(5) conducting a police escort.
81	89		SECTION 5. Section 547.405(d), Transportation Code, is
82	90		amended to read as follows:
83	91		(d) A trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer that is equipped
84	92		with air or vacuum brakes or that has a gross weight heavier than
85	93		4,500 [3,000] pounds shall be equipped with brakes that:
86	94		(1) operate on all wheels required to have brakes
87	95		under Section 547.402; and
88	96		(2) are promptly applied automatically and remain
89	97		applied for at least 15 minutes in case of a breakaway from the
90	98		towing vehicle.
91	99		SECTION 6. Section 547.703(a), Transportation Code, is
92	100		amended to read as follows:
93	101		(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a slow-moving
94	102		vehicle shall display a slow-moving-vehicle emblem that:
95	103		(1) has a reflective surface designed to be clearly
96	104		visible in daylight or at night from the light of standard
97	105		automobile headlamps at a distance of at least 500 feet;
98	106		(2) is mounted base down on the rear of the vehicle and
99	107		at a height that does not impair the visibility of the emblem [from
100	108		three to five feet above the road surface]; and
101	109		(3) is maintained in a clean, reflective condition.
102	110		SECTION 7. Section 504.947, Transportation Code, is
103	111		repealed.
104	112		SECTION 8. The change in law made by this Act applies only
105	113		to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
106	114		An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
107	115		governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,
108	116		and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For
109	117		purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
110	118		effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
111	119		before that date.
112	120		SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
113		-	______________________________ ______________________________
114		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
115		-	I certify that H.B. No. 2837 was passed by the House on April
116		-	24, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, 1 present, not
117		-	voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
118		-	No. 2837 on May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 0,
119		-	1 present, not voting.
120		-	______________________________
121		-	Chief Clerk of the House
122		-	I certify that H.B. No. 2837 was passed by the Senate, with
123		-	amendments, on May 15, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays
124		-	0.
125		-	______________________________
126		-	Secretary of the Senate
127		-	APPROVED: __________________
128		-	Date
129		-	__________________
130		-	Governor
	121	+	* * * * *