HBA- MPA S.B. 537 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 537 By: Cain Transportation 4/23/1999 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, the Texas Transportation Commission (commission) may enter into agreements with a county or a municipality to make improvements to portions of the state highway system. However, there is no statutory provision which allows the commission to enter into these types of agreements with regional tollway authorities. S.B.537 grants the commission the authority to enter into similar agreements with regional tollway authorities. Currently, there is no statutory provision granting the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) the authority to enter into agreements with regional tollway authorities to provide services, such as courtesy patrols, on regional tollway authority projects, even though providing these services may be more efficient than the regional authorities providing such services with their own personnel. S.B. 537 allows TxDOT to enter into agreements to provide such services to regional tollway authorities for fair and reasonable consideration. In addition, this bill authorizes certain regional tollway authorities to alter the prima facie speed limit authority-maintained turnpikes. 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 Subchapter C, Chapter 201, Transportation Code, by adding Section 201.113, as follows: Sec. 201.113. AGREEMENTS WITH REGIONAL TOLLWAY AUTHORITIES. Authorizes the Texas Transportation Commission (commission) to enter into an agreement with a regional tollway authority governed under Chapter 366 (Regional Tollway Authorities) for the improvement by the tollway authority of a portion of the state highway system, notwithstanding Sections 221.003 (Improvement of State Highway System) and 224.031(Duty of Department), Transportation Code. Defines "improvement." SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter I, Chapter 201, Transportation Code, by adding Section 201.707, as follows: Sec. 201.707. AGREEMENTS FOR SERVICES ON REGIONAL TOLLWAY AUTHORITY PROJECTS. Authorizes the the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to enter into an agreement with a regional tollway authority governed by Chapter 366 (Regional Tollway Projects), under which TxDOT, provides services, including courtesy patrols, on a turnpike project of the tollway authority for fair and reasonable compensation, notwithstanding Section 201.703(c) (relating to the expenditure of state money for roads not on the state highway system). SECTION 3. Amends Section 545.354, Transportation Code, by amending the heading and Subsection (a), as follows: Sec. 545.354. New title: AUTHORITY TO ALTER SPEED LIMITS ON TURNPIKE PROJECTS. (a) Defines "authority." Requires an authority, rather than the Texas Turnpike Authority, to determine and declare by order and record in its minutes a reasonable and safe prima facie speed limit for vehicles or classes of vehicles on the turnpike, if the authority determines from the results of an engineering and traffic investigation that a prima facie speed limit described in this subchapter is unreasonable and unsafe on a part of the turnpike SECTION 4.Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 5.Emergency clause.