HBA-EDN S.B. 896 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 896 By: Shapiro Ways & Means 4/30/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the state contributes $7.3 million from the state highway fund to the County and Road District Highway Fund. This amount was established in 1954 and has not been modified since its inception. Senate Bill 896 creates a new allocation formula for distribution of state funds. 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. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 896 amends the Local Government Code to require the comptroller of public accounts (comptroller) on or before October 15 of each year to distribute money appropriated for the special county road assistance program (program) among the counties as follows: _two-fifths according to total population, determined by the ratio of the total population of the county to the total population of the state; _one fifth according to population, determined by the ration of the population in unincorporated areas of the county to the population in all unincorporated areas of the state; _one-fifth according to lineal county road miles, determined by the ratio of lineal mileage of county roads in the county to the lineal mileage of county roads in the state, according to the most recent county road inventory compiled by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT); and _one-fifth according to paved and concrete county road miles, determined by the ratio of miles of lanes of paved and concrete county roads in the county to the miles of lanes of paved and concrete county roads in the state, according to the most recent county road inventory compiled by TxDOT. S.B. 896 authorizes money appropriated to the program to be used only for the support of the county road system, including uses specified by law for revenues from the county and road district highway fund. S.B. 896 amends the Transportation Code to prohibit the comptroller from depositing tax receipts or other money to the credit of the county and road district highway fund, except as provided by law for the allocation of gasoline tax receipts. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.