HBA-MPA C.S.H.B. 434 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 434
By: Turner, Bob
Transportation
3/25/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law allows speed limits on state roads to be extended to a private
subdivision only if the subdivision has at least 400 residents.  If two
subdivisions are adjacent to a state road the amount of traffic generated
could justify extending the speed restrictions into the subdivisions.
Under current law this is not possible.  C.S.H.B. 434 allows speed
restrictions to be extended to private subdivisions adjacent to one another
if the subdivisions together have at least 400 residents. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 542.006(a), Transportation Code, to authorize
owners of a majority of the parcels of real property abutting a private
road to petition the Texas Transportation Commission to extend speed
restrictions on a road in a subdivision or across adjacent subdivisions if
the subdivision and adjacent subdivisions have a total of at least 400
residents, rather than if the subdivision alone has a total of at least 400
residents.  Makes conforming changes.  

SECTION 2. Emergency clause.
           Effective date:  upon passage.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 434 differs from the original in SECTION 1, by adding the phrase
"or across adjacent subdivisions" after the phrase "the portion of the road
in a subdivision," in Section 542.006(a), Transportation Code (regarding
the extension of speed restrictions into subdivisions by the Texas
Transportation Commission).