Senate Transportation met on May 17 to discuss a full agenda. Bills covered in this report include HB 1505 (Paddie), HB 2203 (Romero, Jr.), HB 2219 (Canales), and HB 3927 (Hefner). The full notice for the hearing can be found here, and the archive can be found here.

 

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

 

Vote Outs

HB 1321 (Bell, Keith) (8-0)

HB 2521 (Harris) (8-0)

HB 3078 (Bailes) (8-0)

HB 532 (Shine) (8-0)

HB 1115 (King) (8-0)

HB 1181 (Middleton) (8-0)

HB 1693 (Shaheen) (8-0)

CSHB 1739 (Romero) (8-0)

HB 2048 (Krause) (8-0)

HB 2086 (Morales) (8-0)

HB 2748 (Ellzey) (8-0)

HB 2807 (Rogers) (8-0)

HB 3212 (Sherman) (8-0)

HB 3496 (Herrero) (8-0)

CSHB 3512 (Canales) (8-0)

HB 3514 (Canales) (8-0)

HB 3893 (Hinojosa) (8-0)

HB 4080 (Jetton) (8-0)

 

HB 2203 (Romero, Jr.) (CS) – Relating to the powers of certain regional transportation authorities

  • Powell – Bill amends transportation code to allow Trinity Metro similar authority to DART in Dallas to encourage investment around metro stations
  • DART and Trinity Metro are working together on TxRail project, and this bill will increase regional cooperation and economic investment
  • CS limits authority for Trinity Metro, including limiting distance from the station a development can be for Trinity to sign contracts with businesses

 

Tito Rodriguez, Trinity Metro – For

  • Support the bill, seeking the authority granted to DART to maximize transit corridors and enhance transit development
  • Will increase use of services, increases economic development, and revitalizes communities
  • Will allow us access to grant funding for planning and development of many corridors of travel
  • Limitations to authority are good, but we need the authority

CSHB 2203 voted out (8-0)

 

HB 1505 (Paddie et al.) (CS) – Relating to attachments for broadband service on utility poles owned by an electric cooperative and establishing and funding a pole replacement program for deployment of certain broadband facilities

  • Hancock – Designed to streamline the installation of broadband services
  • Preserves Electric Cooperative’s ability to impose reasonable safety standards and clarifies certain language relating to replacement of infrastructure
  • Directs $75 million from federal grant programs for the purpose of broadband installation as a reimbursement program for eligible pole replacement
  • Rural areas badly need broadband access

 

Walt Baum, Texas Cable Association – For

  • Bill will increase access to broadband in underserved areas through reducing cost of pole replacement with federal funds, removing uncertainty over allocation of replacement costs, and ensuring that cable providers are part of the framework to work with Electric cooperatives
  • Cable companies are not building their own poles; working off of existing cooperative poles, which can sometimes be unable to support broadband
  • Bill ensures that broadband providers must follow same landowner protection laws as other companies

 

Eric Craven, Texas Electric Cooperatives – On

  • Coops know the need for broadband in rural Texas – welcome these efforts
  • CS addresses the main concerns of cooperatives in sharing poles with broadband cable
  • Bill is satisfactory

 

Jeremy Fox, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association – On

  • Broadband access is a pressing issue in rural Texas; appreciate efforts to advance broadband connectivity
  • One minor concern; bill should include provision to notify landowners affected by pole replacement/cable installation

HB 1505 left pending

 

HB 2219 (Canales et al.) – Relating to the issuance of Texas Mobility Fund obligations

  • Nichols – Reorganizes Texas Mobility Fund to allow Texas to accelerate mobility projects around the state
  • Capped debt and loans on the fund in 2017, but now we need to access loans on those funds due to fiscal impact of COVID and declining gas tax revenue
  • Voters approved 10-year transportation plan

 

Drew Campbell, Transportation Advocates of Texas – For

  • Supports the bill

HB 2219 voted out (8-0)

 

HB 3927 (Hefner) (CS) – Relating to the issuance and use of certain temporary motor vehicle tags and the classification of temporary motor vehicle tags as governmental records for purposes of certain criminal offenses

  • Nichols – Unlawful temporary tags can be used in criminal behavior and TxDMV needs additional resources to investigate and prosecute criminal behavior relating to tags
  • CS unifies house and senate bills, including changes for dealers who sell tags and incorporates DMV feedback

 

Corey Thompson, TxDMV – On

  • CS changes include new section incorporating limits for dealers based on sales volume and other variables
  • Bill reads that if a dealer exceeds a number of temporary tags, department would review the dealer, then an investigation and legal action may be necessary/undertaken
  • Nichols – Does the CS allow the online sales companies to still function?
    • The CS includes language to allow tags to be placed on vehicles without Texas inspections
  • Application process will now have checks, including location and sales requirements and checks to determine if a dealer is going to be legitimate or fraudulent
  • Rulemaking process will work out the specifics, will probably demarcate between larger and smaller dealers for equity

 

Mike Bradburn, Travis County Constable’s Office – For

  • Works as a detective to investigate fraudulent Texas Tags for vehicles, estimate over 1 million dollars in profits from illegal tags alone
  • Several dealers sell more than 20,000 tags per week – huge numbers of tags going all over the United States – Texas Tags are a favorite of criminals out of state due to the ease you can get tags with

 

Jose Escribano Jr., Travis County Constable’s Office – For

  • Past 3 years have seen impunity for illegal dealers – millions of fraudulent paper tags have been circulated
  • TxDMV has had trouble shutting down fraudulent companies due to conflicts with statute – bill resolves those conflicts

 

David Kohler, Self – For

  • Transportation code limits the DMV’s ability to cancel dealers’ licenses, allowing fraud and criminal issues to proliferate without checks

 

Stacy Gilman, Texas Automobile Dealers Association – On

  • Testifying “on” due to new CS
  • TxDMV board has reviewed the issue of fraud in Tag dealers
  • Members have expressed concern over the thoroughness of the DMV licensing process and review of printing of tags
  • We rejected the idea that the DMV should be given the right to unilaterally suspend a dealer’s access to the tag database; puts them out of business
  • DMV board recommends allowing the DMV to limit the number of tags that can be printed by dealers to the number sold by a dealer
  • West – What does the Board think about this?
    • Its not right to cut access to print tags; will put people out of business
    • Remedy that the Board proposed caps the number of printable tags based on estimated sales
  • Perry – CS incorporates appeal process for suspension of access; how long does that take?
    • Hopefully quickly
  • Perry – What would the sales estimate be based on?
    • Formula is yet to be determined but it is being worked on

CSHB 3927 voted out (8-0)