| 1 | 1 | | By: Morales of Maverick H.B. No. 4976 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the creation of the Middle Rio Grande Regional Mobility |
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| 7 | 7 | | Authority; authorizing a fee. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 370, Transportation Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | adding Subchapter L to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SUBCHAPTER L. MIDDLE RIO GRANDE REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 370.451. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "member |
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| 13 | 13 | | county" means a county located in the territory of the Middle Rio |
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| 14 | 14 | | Grande Regional Mobility Authority. |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 370.452. NATURE OF AUTHORITY. (a) The Middle Rio |
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| 16 | 16 | | Grande Regional Mobility Authority is an authority organized under |
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| 17 | 17 | | this chapter. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) A provision of this chapter that requires the commission |
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| 19 | 19 | | to approve the creation of an authority does not apply to the Middle |
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| 20 | 20 | | Rio Grande Regional Mobility Authority. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Sec. 370.453. CONFLICTS WITH OTHER SUBCHAPTERS. In the |
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| 22 | 22 | | case of a conflict between this subchapter and other provisions of |
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| 23 | 23 | | this chapter or other law governing regional mobility authorities, |
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| 24 | 24 | | this subchapter controls. |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 370.454. MEMBER COUNTIES. (a) The Middle Rio Grande |
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| 26 | 26 | | Regional Mobility Authority initially includes the following |
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| 27 | 27 | | counties: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) Dimmit County; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) Frio County; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (3) Kinney County; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) Maverick County; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) Uvalde County; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (6) Val Verde County; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (7) Zavala County. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (b) A county may be added to or withdrawn from the Middle |
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| 36 | 36 | | Rio Grande Regional Mobility Authority in the manner provided by |
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| 37 | 37 | | Section 370.0315. |
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| 38 | 38 | | Sec. 370.455. BOARD OF DIRECTORS; TERMS. (a) The governing |
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| 39 | 39 | | body of the Middle Rio Grande Regional Mobility Authority is a board |
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| 40 | 40 | | of directors consisting of a representative of each member county. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (b) The commissioners court of each member county shall |
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| 42 | 42 | | appoint one director to serve on the board. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) The board shall elect either the director representing |
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| 44 | 44 | | Maverick County or the director representing Val Verde County as |
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| 45 | 45 | | the presiding officer. A director may not serve as presiding |
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| 46 | 46 | | officer for more than two consecutive years. If the director |
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| 47 | 47 | | positions representing Maverick County and Val Verde County are |
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| 48 | 48 | | vacant simultaneously, the board may choose a presiding officer |
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| 49 | 49 | | representing another county. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (d) Directors serve two-year terms, with as near as possible |
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| 51 | 51 | | to one-half of the directors' terms expiring on February 1 of each |
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| 52 | 52 | | year. |
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| 53 | 53 | | Sec. 370.456. INITIAL DIRECTORS. (a) Of the initial |
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| 54 | 54 | | directors, the terms of directors appointed to represent Dimmit |
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| 55 | 55 | | County, Kinney County, Uvalde County, and Zavala County expire |
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| 56 | 56 | | February 1, 2023, and the terms of directors appointed to represent |
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| 57 | 57 | | the remaining member counties expire February 1, 2026. |
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| 58 | 58 | | (b) Section 370.455(d) does not apply to an initial |
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| 59 | 59 | | director. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (c) This section expires September 1, 2027. |
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| 61 | 61 | | SECTION 2. Sections 502.402(a) and (b-1), Transportation |
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| 62 | 62 | | Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 63 | 63 | | (a) This section applies only to: |
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| 64 | 64 | | (1) a county that: |
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| 65 | 65 | | (A) borders the United Mexican States; and |
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| 66 | 66 | | (B) has a population of more than 250,000; [and] |
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| 67 | 67 | | (2) a county that has a population of more than 1.5 |
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| 68 | 68 | | million that is coterminous with a regional mobility authority; and |
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| 69 | 69 | | (3) a member county of the Middle Rio Grande Regional |
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| 70 | 70 | | Mobility Authority, as established under Subchapter L, Chapter 370. |
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| 71 | 71 | | (b-1) The commissioners court of a county described by |
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| 72 | 72 | | Subsection (a)(1) or (2) [(a)] with a population of less than |
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| 73 | 73 | | 700,000 may increase the additional fee to an amount that does not |
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| 74 | 74 | | exceed $20 if approved by a majority of the qualified voters of the |
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| 75 | 75 | | county voting on the issue at a referendum election, which the |
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| 76 | 76 | | commissioners court may order and hold for that purpose. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect January 1, 2024, but only |
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| 78 | 78 | | if the constitutional amendment proposed by the 87th Legislature, |
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| 79 | 79 | | Regular Session, 2021, to authorize the creation of a regional |
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| 80 | 80 | | mobility authority by local law is approved by the voters. If that |
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| 81 | 81 | | constitutional amendment is not approved by the voters, this Act |
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| 82 | 82 | | has no effect. |
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