By: Guillen H.B. No. 2699
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to an optional procedure for the issuance of a permit by
City of Roma for the movement of oversize or overweight vehicles
carrying cargo in Starr County; authorizing a fee.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 623, Transportation Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter W to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER W. STARR COUNTY PERMITS
Sec. 623.451. OPTIONAL PROCEDURE. This subchapter provides
an optional procedure for the issuance of a permit by the City of
Roma for the movement of oversize or overweight vehicles carrying
cargo on certain roadways located in Starr county.
Sec. 623.452. ISSUANCE OF PERMITS. (a) The commission may
authorize the City of Roma to issue permits for the movement of
oversize or overweight vehicles carrying cargo in Starr county on
the following roadways:
(1) Farm-to-Market Road 650 between its intersection
with River Road in Fronton and its intersection with U.S. Highway 83
in Roma;
(2) U.S. Highway 83 between its intersection with
Farm-to-Market Road 650 and its intersection with Franklin Avenue
in Roma;
(3) Bravo Boulevard in Roma between its easternmost
intersection with U.S. Highway 83 and the Roma-Ciudad Miguel Aleman
International Bridge;
(4) Franklin Avenue in Roma between the Roma-Ciudad
Miguel Aleman International Bridge and its easternmost
intersection with U.S. Highway 83;
Sec. 623.453. SURETY BOND. The commission may require the
City of Roma to execute, at its own expense, a surety bond payable
to the Texas Department of Transportation in an amount of not less
than $500,000 for costs of maintenance for the roadways described
by Section 623.452(a).
Sec. 623.454. PERMIT FEES. (a) The City of Roma may
collect a fee for permits issued under this subchapter. Except as
otherwise provided by this subsection, the maximum amount of the
fee may not exceed $200 per trip. On September 1 of each year, the
city may adjust the maximum fee amount as necessary to reflect the
percentage change during the preceding year in the Consumer Price
Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. City Average, published
monthly by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics or its
successor in function.
(b) Fees collected under Subsection (a) may be used only for
the operation and maintenance of the roadways described by or
designated under Section 623.452 and for the City of Roma's
administrative costs, which may not exceed 15 percent of the fees
collected.
(c) The distribution of the fees collected under Subsection
(a) less the City of Roma's administrative costs must be
distributed between the state and the city based on lane mile
calculations between on and off system roadways subject to this
subchapter. Lane mile calculations must be adjusted on a biannual
basis.
(d) The City of Roma shall send the state's portion of the
fees collected under Subsection (a) to the comptroller for deposit
to the credit of the state highway fund. Fees deposited in the
state highway fund under this section are exempt from the
application of Section 403.095, Government Code.
Sec. 623.455. PERMIT REQUIREMENTS. (a) A permit issued
under this subchapter must include:
(1) the name of the applicant;
(2) the date of issuance;
(3) the signature of the designated agent for the City
of Roma;
(4) a statement of the kind of cargo being
transported, the maximum weight and dimensions of the equipment,
and the kind and weight of each commodity to be transported;
(5) a statement:
(A) that the gross weight of the vehicle for
which a permit is issued may not exceed 125,000 pounds; and
(B) of any other condition on which the permit is
issued;
(6) a statement that the cargo may be transported in
Starr County only over the roadways described by or designated
under Section 623.452;
(7) a statement that the permit does not authorize the
transportation of the cargo on an interstate highway; and
(8) the location where the cargo was loaded.
(b) The City of Roma shall report to the department all
permits issued under this subchapter.
Sec. 623.456. TIME OF MOVEMENT. A permit issued under this
subchapter must specify the time during which movement authorized
by the permit is allowed.
Sec. 623.457. SPEED LIMIT. Movement authorized by a permit
issued under this subchapter may not exceed the posted speed limit
or 55 miles per hour, whichever is less. A violation of this
provision constitutes a moving violation.
Sec. 623.458. ENFORCEMENT. The Department of Public Safety
has authority to enforce this subchapter.
Sec. 623.459. PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN. The Texas
Department of Transportation shall create a pavement management
plan for the roadways described by Section 623.452(a).
Sec. 623.460. RULES. The commission may adopt rules
necessary to implement this subchapter.
SECTION 2. The City of Roma may adjust the maximum fee
amount as provided by Section 623.454, Transportation Code, as
added by this Act, beginning September 1, 2026.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.