Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1117 Compare Versions

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11 87R5160 JAM-D
22 By: Shaheen H.B. No. 1117
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55 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
66 AN ACT
77 relating to the cessation of tolls by toll project entities in
88 certain circumstances.
99 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1010 SECTION 1. Sections 228.012(a) and (b), Transportation
1111 Code, are amended to read as follows:
1212 (a) The department shall create a separate account in the
1313 state highway fund to hold payments received by the department
1414 under a comprehensive development agreement [and the surplus
1515 revenue of a toll project or system]. The department shall create
1616 subaccounts in the account for each project, system, or
1717 region. Interest earned on money in a subaccount shall be
1818 deposited to the credit of that subaccount.
1919 (b) The department shall hold money in a subaccount in trust
2020 for the benefit of the region in which a project or system is
2121 located and may assign the responsibility for allocating money in a
2222 subaccount to a metropolitan planning organization in which the
2323 region is located for projects approved by the department. At the
2424 time the project is approved by the department money shall be
2525 allocated and distributed to projects authorized by Section
2626 228.0055 [or Section 228.006, as applicable].
2727 SECTION 2. Section 228.053(f), Transportation Code, is
2828 amended to read as follows:
2929 (f) The revenue and disbursements for each toll project or
3030 system shall be kept separately. The revenue from one project may
3131 not be used to pay the cost of another project except as authorized
3232 by Section [Sections] 228.0055 [and 228.006].
3333 SECTION 3. Section 228.104(a), Transportation Code, is
3434 amended to read as follows:
3535 (a) The principal of, interest on, and any redemption
3636 premium on bonds issued by the commission under this subchapter are
3737 payable solely from:
3838 (1) the revenue of the toll project or system for which
3939 the bonds are issued, including tolls pledged to pay the bonds;
4040 (2) the proceeds of bonds issued for the project or
4141 system;
4242 (3) the amounts deposited in a debt service reserve
4343 fund as required by the trust agreement securing bonds issued for
4444 the project or system;
4545 (4) amounts received under a credit agreement relating
4646 to the project or system for which the bonds are issued; and
4747 (5) [surplus revenue of another project or system as
4848 authorized by Section 228.006; and
4949 [(6)] amounts received by the department:
5050 (A) as pass-through tolls under Section 222.104;
5151 (B) under an agreement with a local governmental
5252 entity entered into under Section 228.254;
5353 (C) under other agreements with a local
5454 governmental entity relating to the project or system for which the
5555 bonds are issued; and
5656 (D) under a comprehensive development agreement
5757 entered into under Section 223.201.
5858 SECTION 4. Section 228.105, Transportation Code, is amended
5959 to read as follows:
6060 Sec. 228.105. SOURCES OF PAYMENT OF AND SECURITY FOR TOLL
6161 REVENUE BONDS. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this
6262 subchapter, toll revenue bonds issued by the commission may:
6363 (1) be payable from and secured by:
6464 (A) payments made under an agreement with a local
6565 governmental entity as provided by Section 228.254;
6666 (B) the proceeds of bonds issued for the toll
6767 project or system; or
6868 (C) amounts deposited in a debt service reserve
6969 fund as required by the trust agreement securing bonds issued for
7070 the project or system; [or
7171 [(D) surplus revenue of another toll project or
7272 system as authorized by Section 228.006;] and
7373 (2) state on their faces any pledge of revenue or taxes
7474 and any security for the bonds under the agreement.
7575 SECTION 5. Section 366.113(a), Transportation Code, is
7676 amended to read as follows:
7777 (a) The principal of, interest on, and any redemption
7878 premium on bonds issued by an authority are payable solely from:
7979 (1) the revenue of the turnpike project or system for
8080 which the bonds are issued, including tolls pledged to pay the
8181 bonds;
8282 (2) payments made under an agreement with the
8383 commission or a local governmental entity as provided by Subchapter
8484 G;
8585 (3) money derived from any other source available to
8686 the authority, other than money derived from a turnpike project
8787 that is not part of the same system or money derived from a
8888 different system[, except to the extent that the surplus revenue of
8989 a turnpike project or system has been pledged for that purpose];
9090 and
9191 (4) amounts received under a credit agreement relating
9292 to the turnpike project or system for which the bonds are issued.
9393 SECTION 6. Section 370.113(a), Transportation Code, is
9494 amended to read as follows:
9595 (a) The principal of, interest on, and any redemption
9696 premium on bonds issued by an authority are payable solely from:
9797 (1) the revenue of the transportation project for
9898 which the bonds are issued;
9999 (2) payments made under an agreement with the
100100 commission, the department, or other governmental entity as
101101 authorized by this chapter;
102102 (3) money derived from any other source available to
103103 the authority, other than money derived from a transportation
104104 project that is not part of the same system or money derived from a
105105 different system, except to the extent that the surplus revenue of a
106106 transportation project or system, other than a turnpike project,
107107 has been pledged for that purpose;
108108 (4) amounts received under a credit agreement relating
109109 to the transportation project for which the bonds are issued; and
110110 (5) the proceeds of the sale of other bonds.
111111 SECTION 7. Section 372.054(b), Transportation Code, as
112112 added by Chapter 744 (H.B. 803), Acts of the 86th Legislature,
113113 Regular Session, 2019, is amended to read as follows:
114114 (b) Not later than the 180th day after the last day of a toll
115115 project entity's fiscal year, the entity shall publish on the
116116 entity's Internet website a report on the entity's financial data,
117117 including:
118118 (1) the final maturity of all bonds issued by the
119119 entity for a toll project or system;
120120 (2) toll revenue for each toll project for the
121121 previous fiscal year;
122122 (3) an accounting of total revenue collected and
123123 expenses incurred by the entity for the previous fiscal year, such
124124 as debt service, maintenance and operation costs, and any other
125125 miscellaneous expenses[, and any surplus revenue]; and
126126 (4) a capital improvement plan with proposed or
127127 expected capital expenditures over a period determined by the
128128 entity.
129129 SECTION 8. Subchapter B, Chapter 372, Transportation Code,
130130 is amended by adding Section 372.059 to read as follows:
131131 Sec. 372.059. CESSATION OF TOLLS. (a) A toll project shall
132132 be maintained without tolls in the manner provided by Subsection
133133 (c) when the costs of acquisition and construction of the project
134134 have been paid and:
135135 (1) all of the bonds and interest on the bonds that are
136136 payable from or secured by revenues of the project have been paid by
137137 the issuer of the bonds or another person with the consent or
138138 approval of the issuer; or
139139 (2) a sufficient amount for the payment of all bonds
140140 and interest on the bonds to maturity has been set aside by the
141141 issuer of the bonds or another person with the consent or approval
142142 of the issuer in a trust fund held for the benefit of the
143143 bondholders.
144144 (b) A toll project entity may not amend a financing or other
145145 agreement in a manner that would extend the date by which a toll
146146 project must be maintained without tolls under Subsection (a).
147147 (c) Beginning on the date on which a toll project must be
148148 maintained without tolls under Subsection (a), the toll project:
149149 (1) becomes part of the state highway system and must
150150 be maintained by the commission if:
151151 (A) the Legislative Budget Board determines that
152152 the state has available resources necessary to operate and maintain
153153 the project; and
154154 (B) the project is not transferred to a county
155155 under Subdivision (2);
156156 (2) becomes part of the road system of a county in
157157 which the project is located and must be maintained by that county
158158 if:
159159 (A) the county requests from the Legislative
160160 Budget Board approval to operate and maintain the project; and
161161 (B) the Legislative Budget Board approves the
162162 request made under Paragraph (A); or
163163 (3) shall be maintained without tolls by the entity
164164 operating the project if the project does not become part of the
165165 state highway system under Subdivision (1) or a county road system
166166 under Subdivision (2).
167167 SECTION 9. The following provisions of the Transportation
168168 Code are repealed:
169169 (1) Section 228.006;
170170 (2) Section 228.109(d);
171171 (3) Sections 284.008(c) and (d);
172172 (4) Section 366.003(9-a);
173173 (5) Section 366.037;
174174 (6) Section 366.071;
175175 (7) Section 366.072(b); and
176176 (8) Section 366.175.
177177 SECTION 10. Not later than September 1, 2022, the Texas
178178 Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Legislative
179179 Budget Board, shall conduct a study and produce a report regarding
180180 the costs associated with the cessation of the collection of tolls
181181 on highways in this state in the manner provided by Section 372.059,
182182 Transportation Code, as added by this Act. The study and report
183183 must identify:
184184 (1) all toll roads in this state;
185185 (2) the projected date by which each of those toll
186186 roads will be required to be maintained without tolls under Section
187187 372.059, Transportation Code, as added by this Act; and
188188 (3) the projected maintenance and operation costs
189189 associated with adding each of those roads to the state highway
190190 system.
191191 SECTION 11. This Act takes effect immediately if it
192192 receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
193193 house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
194194 If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
195195 effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.