Bill Text: TX HB1079 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, including an evaluation of the feasibility of certain improvements to Interstate Highway 27.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 6-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-10 - Effective immediately [HB1079 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB1079-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 1079 |
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relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation of the | ||
Ports-to-Plains Corridor, including an evaluation of the | ||
feasibility of certain improvements to Interstate Highway 27. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. (a) In this Act: | ||
(1) "Advisory committee" means the Ports-to-Plains | ||
Advisory Committee established under this section. | ||
(2) "Department" means the Texas Department of | ||
Transportation. | ||
(3) "Improvement" has the meaning assigned by Section | ||
221.001, Transportation Code. | ||
(4) "Port of entry" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Section 621.001, Transportation Code. | ||
(5) "Ports-to-Plains Corridor" means the highways | ||
designated as the Ports-to-Plains Corridor under Section 225.069, | ||
Transportation Code. | ||
(b) The department shall conduct a comprehensive study of | ||
the Ports-to-Plains Corridor. The study must evaluate the | ||
feasibility of, and the costs and logistical matters associated | ||
with, improvements that create a continuous flow, four-lane divided | ||
highway that meets interstate highway standards to the extent | ||
possible, including improvements that: | ||
(1) extend Interstate Highway 27: | ||
(A) from its southern terminus to Interstate | ||
Highway 20; | ||
(B) from Interstate Highway 20 to Interstate | ||
Highway 10; and | ||
(C) from Interstate Highway 10 to the port of | ||
entry located in Laredo; | ||
(2) extend Interstate Highway 27: | ||
(A) from its northern terminus to Dumas; | ||
(B) from Dumas to Stratford; and | ||
(C) from Stratford to the Oklahoma state border; | ||
and | ||
(3) extend Interstate Highway 27: | ||
(A) from its northern terminus to Dumas; | ||
(B) from Dumas to Dalhart; and | ||
(C) from Dalhart to the New Mexico state border. | ||
(c) In conducting the study under Subsection (b) of this | ||
section, the department shall: | ||
(1) use the reports submitted to the department by the | ||
advisory committee under Subsection (j) of this section; and | ||
(2) hold quarterly public meetings on a rotational | ||
basis in Amarillo, Laredo, Lubbock, and San Angelo to gather public | ||
feedback on improvements or expansions to the Ports-to-Plains | ||
Corridor. | ||
(d) The department shall establish a Ports-to-Plains | ||
Advisory Committee to assist the department in conducting the study | ||
under Subsection (b) of this section. | ||
(e) The advisory committee is composed of: | ||
(1) the county judge, or an elected county official or | ||
the administrator of the county's road department, as designated by | ||
the county judge, of each county along the Ports-to-Plains | ||
Corridor, including the counties along the possible extensions of | ||
Interstate Highway 27 described by Subsection (b) of this section; | ||
and | ||
(2) the mayor, or the city manager or assistant city | ||
manager, as designated by the mayor, of Amarillo, Big Spring, | ||
Carrizo Springs, Dalhart, Del Rio, Dumas, Eagle Pass, Eldorado, | ||
Lamesa, Laredo, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Sonora, | ||
Sterling City, Stratford, and Tahoka. | ||
(f) The advisory committee shall meet at least twice each | ||
year on a rotational basis in Lubbock and San Angelo. | ||
(g) The department, in conjunction with the advisory | ||
committee, shall establish segment committees for each geographic | ||
segment along the Ports-to-Plains Corridor as determined by the | ||
department. The segment committees are composed of: | ||
(1) volunteers who may represent: | ||
(A) municipalities, counties, metropolitan | ||
planning organizations, ports, chambers of commerce, and economic | ||
development organizations along that segment of the | ||
Ports-to-Plains Corridor; | ||
(B) the oil and gas industry; and | ||
(C) the trucking industry; | ||
(2) department representatives; and | ||
(3) any other interested parties. | ||
(h) A segment committee established under Subsection (g) of | ||
this section for a segment along the Ports-to-Plains Corridor shall | ||
submit a report to the advisory committee providing input for the | ||
study conducted by the department under Subsection (b) of this | ||
section. The report must include: | ||
(1) an examination of the ability of the energy | ||
industry to transport products to market; | ||
(2) an evaluation of the economic development impacts | ||
of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, including whether the improvement | ||
or expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor would create | ||
employment opportunities in this state; | ||
(3) a determination of whether improvements or | ||
expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor would relieve traffic | ||
congestion in the segment; | ||
(4) an examination of freight movement along the | ||
Ports-to-Plains Corridor; | ||
(5) a determination and prioritization of | ||
improvements and expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor that are | ||
warranted in order to promote safety and mobility, while maximizing | ||
the use of existing highways to the greatest extent possible and | ||
striving to protect private property as much as possible; | ||
(6) a determination of the areas that are preferable | ||
and suitable for interstate designation; | ||
(7) an examination of project costs related to the | ||
improvement or expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor; and | ||
(8) an assessment of federal, state, local, and | ||
private funding sources for a project improving or expanding the | ||
Ports-to-Plains Corridor. | ||
(i) Not later than June 30, 2020, each segment committee | ||
established under Subsection (g) of this section shall submit to | ||
the advisory committee the report described by Subsection (h) of | ||
this section, including priority recommendations for improvement | ||
and expansion of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor. | ||
(j) Not later than October 31, 2020, the advisory committee | ||
shall review and compile the reports submitted by each segment | ||
committee under Subsection (i) of this section and submit to the | ||
department: | ||
(1) the reports submitted by each segment committee; | ||
and | ||
(2) a summary and any recommendations based on those | ||
reports. | ||
(k) The advisory committee and each segment committee shall | ||
conduct extensive public involvement campaigns for feedback on | ||
preliminary recommendations made by the committees before | ||
submitting the reports under Subsections (i) and (j) of this | ||
section. | ||
(l) Not later than January 1, 2021, the department shall | ||
submit a report on the results of the study conducted under | ||
Subsection (b) of this section to the governor, the lieutenant | ||
governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the | ||
presiding officer of each standing committee of the legislature | ||
with jurisdiction over transportation matters. | ||
(m) This Act expires August 31, 2021. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 1079 was passed by the House on April | ||
24, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 1, 2 present, not | ||
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. | ||
No. 1079 on May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 126, Nays 16, | ||
2 present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 1079 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 15, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays | ||
1. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |