HBA-CMT H.B. 630 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 630
By: Turner, Sylvester
Urban Affairs
7/19/2001
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Many cities throughout Texas are confronted with the problem of individuals
illegally dumping trash along city streets, vacant lots, and in communities
and neighborhoods.  To address this issue, city environmental code
enforcement officers spend time collecting information from citizens and
setting up surveillance systems to determine which individuals are dumping
illegally.  The inability of these officers under previous state law to
perform such surveillance in unmarked vehicles hampered their
effectiveness.  House Bill 630 allows municipal code enforcement officers
to perform their duties in unmarked vehicles. 

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

House Bill 630 amends the Transportation Code  to authorize the governing
body of a municipality to exempt an office having control of an automobile
from the requirement of inscripting an automobile with the name of the
municipality and office when it is used to perform an official duty by a
municipal code enforcement officer designated to enforce environmental
criminal laws. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

May 14, 2001.