Bill Text: TX SB1953 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of the Texas-Mexico Commission.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-25 - Referred to Natural Resources & Economic Development [SB1953 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SB1953-Introduced.html
2015S0442-1 03/10/15 | ||
By: Hinojosa, et al. | S.B. No. 1953 |
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relating to the establishment of the Texas-Mexico Commission. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. The heading to Chapter 490B, Government Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 490B. TEXAS-MEXICO [ |
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SECTION 2. Sections 490B.001, 490B.002, and 490B.003, | ||
Government Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 490B.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
(1) "Advisory committee" means the border inspection, | ||
trade, and transportation advisory committee established under | ||
Section 490B.009. | ||
(2) "Commission" means the Texas-Mexico [ |
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(3) "Director" means the border affairs director. | ||
(4) "Interagency work group" means the interagency | ||
work group on border issues established under Section 490B.008. | ||
(5) [ |
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meaning assigned by Section 2056.002. | ||
Sec. 490B.002. PURPOSE. The ongoing economic stability and | ||
growth of Texas and the improved quality of life for all Texans are | ||
dependent in part on coordination with neighboring states. Texas | ||
and the Mexican border states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, | ||
and Tamaulipas face common challenges in the areas of | ||
infrastructure, health care, access to and availability of water, | ||
economic development and trade, security and public safety, and | ||
environmental protection. The commission will encourage a | ||
collaborative approach between Texas and neighboring Mexican | ||
states in specific areas so as to better address challenges and plan | ||
for the future. | ||
Sec. 490B.003. TEXAS-MEXICO [ |
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COMMISSION; MEMBERS. (a) The Texas-Mexico [ |
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Commission is established. | ||
(b) The commission is composed of: | ||
(1) the director [ |
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director's [ |
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(2) the secretary of state [ |
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designee; | ||
(3) one member appointed by the governor; | ||
(4) one member appointed by the lieutenant governor; | ||
and | ||
(5) one member appointed by the speaker of the house of | ||
representatives [ |
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(c) The secretary of state or the secretary's designee | ||
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commission. | ||
(d) To be eligible for appointment to the commission by the | ||
governor, lieutenant governor, or speaker of the house of | ||
representatives, a person must have resided in a county that | ||
borders the United Mexican States for the three years immediately | ||
preceding the date on which the person's term will begin. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 490B.004, Government Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsection (e) to read | ||
as follows: | ||
(a) The commission shall: | ||
(1) represent government agencies within the | ||
Texas-Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by improving | ||
communication and cooperation between federal, state, and local | ||
governments; | ||
(2) examine trade issues between the United States and | ||
Mexico; | ||
(3) study the flow of commerce at ports of entry | ||
between this state and Mexico, including the movement of commercial | ||
vehicles across the border, and establish a plan to aid that | ||
commerce and improve the movement of those vehicles; | ||
(4) work with federal officials to resolve | ||
transportation issues involving infrastructure, including roads | ||
and bridges, to allow for the efficient movement of goods and people | ||
across the border between Texas and Mexico; | ||
(5) work with federal officials to create a unified | ||
federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs; | ||
(6) identify problems involved with border truck | ||
inspections and related trade and transportation infrastructure; | ||
(7) work to increase funding for the North American | ||
Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater | ||
facilities; | ||
(8) explore the sale of excess electric power from | ||
Texas to Mexico; | ||
(9) identify areas of environmental protection that | ||
need to be addressed cooperatively between Texas and the Mexican | ||
states; | ||
(10) identify common challenges to health care on | ||
which all states can collaborate; [ |
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(11) develop recommendations, when possible, for | ||
addressing border security challenges; and | ||
(12) establish and appoint committees as it considers | ||
necessary to study specific issues affecting the Texas-Mexico | ||
border region. | ||
(d) The commission shall [ |
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each even-numbered year, the commission shall meet for a | ||
Texas-Mexico Border Summit to be held in a county of this state that | ||
borders the United Mexican States. The commission shall invite to | ||
the summit [ |
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Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas [ |
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Texas-Mexico border region and develop strategic collaborative | ||
approaches for addressing the challenges. | ||
(e) Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the | ||
commission shall submit to the legislature its recommendations to | ||
address challenges faced by the Texas-Mexico border region. | ||
SECTION 4. Chapter 490B, Government Code, is amended by | ||
adding Sections 490B.006, 490B.007, 490B.008, 490B.009, and | ||
490B.010 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 490B.006. ADMINISTRATIVE ATTACHMENT; SUPPORT; BUDGET. | ||
(a) The commission is administratively attached to the Center for | ||
Border Economic and Enterprise Development established under | ||
Section 79.09, Education Code. | ||
(b) The Center for Border Economic and Enterprise | ||
Development shall provide administrative support services, | ||
including human resources, budget, accounting, purchasing, | ||
payroll, information technology, and legal support services, to the | ||
commission as necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter. | ||
(c) The commission, in accordance with the rules and | ||
procedures of the Legislative Budget Board, shall prepare, approve, | ||
and submit a legislative appropriations request that is separate | ||
from the legislative appropriations request for the Center for | ||
Border Economic and Enterprise Development and that is to be used in | ||
developing the commission's budget structure. The commission shall | ||
maintain the commission's legislative appropriations request and | ||
budget structure separately from those of the center. | ||
Sec. 490B.007. BORDER AFFAIRS DIRECTOR. (a) The governor | ||
shall appoint a border affairs director to serve at the will of the | ||
governor in the governor's office or in the office of the secretary | ||
of state, as determined by the governor. The director shall: | ||
(1) examine trade issues between the United States, | ||
Mexico, and Canada; | ||
(2) act as an ombudsman for government agencies within | ||
the Texas-Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by | ||
improving communication and cooperation between federal, state, | ||
and local governments; | ||
(3) study the flow of commerce at ports of entry | ||
between this state and Mexico, including the movement of commercial | ||
vehicles across the border, and establish a plan to aid that | ||
commerce and improve the movement of those vehicles; | ||
(4) work with federal officials to resolve | ||
transportation issues involving infrastructure, including roads | ||
and bridges, to allow for the efficient movement of goods and people | ||
across the border between Texas and Mexico; | ||
(5) work with federal officials to create a unified | ||
federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs; | ||
(6) work to increase funding for the North American | ||
Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater | ||
facilities; and | ||
(7) explore the sale of excess electric power from | ||
Texas to Mexico. | ||
(b) The director shall work with the interagency work group | ||
and with local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, | ||
and other appropriate community organizations adjacent to or | ||
located near the border between Texas and Mexico, and with | ||
comparable entities in Mexican states adjacent to that border, to | ||
address the unique planning and capacity needs of those areas. The | ||
director shall assist those governments, organizations, and | ||
entities in identifying and developing initiatives to address those | ||
needs. Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the | ||
director shall submit to the presiding officer of each house of the | ||
legislature a report of the director's activities under this | ||
subsection during the preceding biennium. | ||
(c) The director shall: | ||
(1) work with private industry and appropriate | ||
entities of Texas and the United States to require that low-sulfur | ||
fuel be sold along highways in Texas carrying increased traffic | ||
related to activities under the North American Free Trade | ||
Agreement; and | ||
(2) work with representatives of the government of | ||
Mexico and the governments of those Mexican states bordering Texas | ||
to increase the use of low-sulfur fuel. | ||
Sec. 490B.008. INTERAGENCY WORK GROUP ON BORDER ISSUES. | ||
(a) The interagency work group on border issues is created to: | ||
(1) develop or update a process to allow agencies to | ||
work together on issues that face border communities; | ||
(2) discuss and coordinate programs and services | ||
offered to border communities and residents of border communities; | ||
and | ||
(3) develop regulatory and legislative | ||
recommendations to eliminate duplication and combine program | ||
services. | ||
(b) The interagency work group is composed of the heads of | ||
the following agencies or their designees: | ||
(1) the Texas Department of Agriculture; | ||
(2) the Texas Department of Housing and Community | ||
Affairs; | ||
(3) the Texas Water Development Board; | ||
(4) the Texas Department of Transportation; | ||
(5) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; | ||
(6) the Texas Workforce Commission; | ||
(7) the Department of State Health Services; | ||
(8) the Health and Human Services Commission; | ||
(9) the General Land Office; | ||
(10) the Texas Economic Development and Tourism | ||
Office; | ||
(11) the Office of State-Federal Relations; | ||
(12) the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; | ||
(13) the attorney general's office; | ||
(14) the secretary of state's office; | ||
(15) the Department of Public Safety; and | ||
(16) the Railroad Commission of Texas. | ||
(c) The interagency work group shall meet at least once each | ||
year to discuss border issues and to provide information showing | ||
the impact each agency has on border communities for use in | ||
developing border policy. In even-numbered years, the work group | ||
shall meet at the biennial Texas-Mexico Border Summit hosted by the | ||
commission under Section 490B.004(d). | ||
(d) In fulfilling its duties, the work group shall consider | ||
the effect of policies instituted by the federal government | ||
impacting the Texas-Mexico border region. | ||
Sec. 490B.009. BORDER INSPECTION, TRADE, AND | ||
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The director shall | ||
establish and appoint the members of the border inspection, trade, | ||
and transportation advisory committee. The members must include | ||
representatives of the Texas Department of Transportation, the | ||
Department of Public Safety, and the Office of State-Federal | ||
Relations and may include representatives of the United States | ||
Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety | ||
Administration, and other representatives of state and federal | ||
agencies involved in border crossing issues. Chapter 2110 does not | ||
apply to the size, composition, or duration of the advisory | ||
committee. | ||
(b) The director shall work with the advisory committee and | ||
the interagency work group to: | ||
(1) identify problems involved with border truck | ||
inspections and related trade and transportation infrastructure; | ||
and | ||
(2) develop recommendations for addressing those | ||
problems. | ||
(c) The director shall work with the advisory committee and | ||
appropriate agencies of Texas, the United States, and Mexico to | ||
develop initiatives to mitigate congestion at ports of entry at the | ||
Texas-Mexico border by conducting in Mexico inspections of trucks | ||
entering Texas. In developing the initiatives, the director shall | ||
give consideration to similar initiatives proposed or implemented | ||
at the border of the United States and Canada. | ||
(d) The director shall report quarterly to the presiding | ||
officer of each house of the legislature on the findings and | ||
recommendations of the advisory committee. | ||
Sec. 490B.010. TRADE AND COMMERCE PLAN. (a) The director | ||
shall develop, in conjunction with representatives of chambers of | ||
commerce, metropolitan planning organizations adjacent to or | ||
located near the border between Texas and Mexico, and private | ||
industry groups, and with the advice of the interagency work group, | ||
a comprehensive trade and commerce plan for the Texas-Mexico border | ||
region designed to: | ||
(1) increase trade by attracting new business | ||
ventures; | ||
(2) support expansion of existing industries; and | ||
(3) address workforce training needs. | ||
(b) The plan must cover 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year | ||
periods. | ||
(c) The director shall work with industries and communities | ||
on both sides of the border to develop international industry | ||
cluster initiatives to capitalize on resources available in | ||
communities adjacent to each other across the border. | ||
(d) The director shall conduct annual conferences of | ||
interested persons, working with chambers of commerce and | ||
universities of this state in the Texas-Mexico border region, and | ||
shall host those conferences at no cost to the director. The | ||
purposes of the conferences are to: | ||
(1) make the trade and commerce plan public; | ||
(2) report on updated findings and progress in | ||
implementing the plan; and | ||
(3) develop new international industry cluster | ||
initiatives. | ||
SECTION 5. Sections 411.0097(b) and (d), Government Code, | ||
as added by Chapter 693 (S.B. 293), Acts of the 79th Legislature, | ||
Regular Session, 2005, are amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) To assist the department in carrying out this section, | ||
the department shall contact the border affairs director appointed | ||
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and the mayors of each municipality in this state in which a port of | ||
entry for land traffic is located. | ||
(d) The department, in conjunction with the border affairs | ||
director [ |
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long-range plans, including recommendations to increase bilateral | ||
relations with Mexico and expedite trade by mitigating delays in | ||
border crossing inspections for northbound truck traffic. In | ||
developing the plans, the department and the border affairs | ||
director [ |
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any meetings under Subsection (a). The department shall update the | ||
plan biennially. | ||
SECTION 6. Section 201.114(b), Transportation Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) The border affairs director appointed under Section | ||
490B.007, Government Code, [ |
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Trade Advisory Committee as presiding officer. The commission | ||
shall appoint the other members of the committee, which to the | ||
extent practicable must include: | ||
(1) the presiding officers, or persons designated by | ||
the presiding officers, of the policy boards of metropolitan | ||
planning organizations wholly or partly in the department's Pharr, | ||
Laredo, Odessa, or El Paso transportation district; | ||
(2) the person serving, or a person designated by the | ||
person serving, in the capacity of executive director of each | ||
entity governing a port of entry in this state; | ||
(3) a representative each from at least two institutes | ||
or centers operated by a university in this state that conduct | ||
continuing research on transportation or trade issues; and | ||
(4) the port director of the Port of Brownsville or the | ||
port director's designee. | ||
SECTION 7. Sections 201.207(b) and (d), Transportation | ||
Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) To assist the department in carrying out this section, | ||
the department shall contact the border affairs director appointed | ||
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this state in which a port of entry for land traffic is located. | ||
(d) The department, in conjunction with the border affairs | ||
director [ |
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long-range plans, including recommendations to increase bilateral | ||
relations with Mexico and expedite trade by mitigating delays in | ||
border crossing inspections for northbound truck traffic. In | ||
developing the plans, the department and the border affairs | ||
director [ |
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any meetings under Subsection (a). The department shall update the | ||
plan biennially. | ||
SECTION 8. The following provisions are repealed: | ||
(1) Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by | ||
Chapter 429 (S.B. 1136), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular | ||
Session, 1999; | ||
(2) Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by | ||
Chapter 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular | ||
Session, 1999; | ||
(3) Section 772.010, Government Code, as reenacted and | ||
amended by Chapter 1215 (H.B. 925), Acts of the 79th Legislature, | ||
Regular Session, 2005; | ||
(4) Sections 772.0101, 772.0102, and 772.011, | ||
Government Code; and | ||
(5) Section 201.114(a), Transportation Code. | ||
SECTION 9. (a) Effective September 1, 2015: | ||
(1) the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment Commission | ||
is abolished and the powers and duties of that commission are | ||
transferred to the Texas-Mexico Commission in accordance with | ||
Chapter 490B, Government Code, as amended by this Act; and | ||
(2) the border commerce coordinator becomes the border | ||
affairs director in accordance with Section 490B.007, Government | ||
Code, as added by this Act. | ||
(b) As soon as possible after the effective date of this | ||
Act, the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of | ||
representatives shall appoint members of the Texas-Mexico | ||
Commission in accordance with Section 490B.003, Government Code, as | ||
amended by this Act. | ||
(c) All rules of the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment | ||
Commission are continued in effect as rules of the Texas-Mexico | ||
Commission until superseded by a rule of the Texas-Mexico | ||
Commission. An activity conducted by the Texas-Mexico Strategic | ||
Investment Commission is considered to be an activity conducted by | ||
the Texas-Mexico Commission. | ||
(d) A reference in another law or an administrative rule to | ||
the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment Commission means the | ||
Texas-Mexico Commission. A reference in another law or an | ||
administrative rule to the border commerce coordinator means the | ||
border affairs director. | ||
(e) All money, records, property, and equipment in the | ||
possession of the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment Commission on | ||
September 1, 2015, shall be transferred to the possession of the | ||
Texas-Mexico Commission on September 1, 2015, or as soon as | ||
possible after that date. | ||
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |