By: Canales, Wilson (Senate Sponsor - Nichols)	H.B. No. 2223
	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 26, 2021;
	May 3, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on
	Transportation; May 5, 2021, reported favorably by the following
	vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 5, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation on the
	impact of certain classifications of motor vehicle on the roads and
	bridges of this state.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  DEFINITION. In this Act, "department" means the
	Texas Department of Transportation.
	SECTION 2.  STUDY AND REPORT. (a) The department, in
	consultation with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, The
	University of Texas Center for Transportation Research, and
	transportation industry representatives, shall conduct a study on
	the impact on the roads and bridges of this state by motor vehicles
	classified as:
	(1)  passenger vehicles;
	(2)  commercial motor vehicles; and
	(3)  oversize or overweight vehicles.
	(b)  The study shall determine, for each classification of
	vehicle listed in Subsection (a) of this section:
	(1)  the number of vehicles that drive on the roads and
	bridges of this state each year;
	(2)  the number of miles driven on the roads and bridges
	of this state each year;
	(3)  the total revenue contribution from taxes and fees
	to the construction and maintenance of the roads and bridges of this
	state;
	(4)  the financial impact due to costs associated with:
	(A)  construction and maintenance of the roads and
	bridges of this state; and
	(B)  congestion on the roads and bridges of this
	state; and
	(5)  whether and by what amount the total revenue
	contribution determined under Subdivision (3) of this subsection
	exceeds or falls short of the financial impact determined under
	Subdivision (4) of this subsection.
	(c)  The study shall assess the overall economic benefits to
	the economy of this state of:
	(1)  commercial motor vehicles; and
	(2)  oversize or overweight vehicles.
	(d)  The study shall recommend one or more changes to
	existing tax or fee structures to ensure that vehicles of each
	classification listed under Subsection (a) of this section
	contribute revenue to fund the construction and maintenance of the
	roads and bridges of this state in an amount at least equal to the
	financial impact of the vehicles of that classification on those
	roads and bridges. The recommendations shall include:
	(1)  specific dollar amounts for taxes and fees for
	each classification of vehicle; and
	(2)  if applicable, new methods of structuring existing
	sources of revenue.
	(e)  Not later than December 1, 2022, the department shall
	submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the
	legislature a written report on the findings of the study. The
	report must include recommendations for policy and statutory
	changes, including any proposed legislation, that are based on the
	results of the study.
	SECTION 3.  EXPIRATION. This Act expires May 1, 2023.
	SECTION 4.  EFFECTIVE DATE. 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, 2021.
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