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


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 630
By: Turner, Sylvester
Urban Affairs
2/11/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Many cities throughout Texas are confronted with the problem of individuals
who illegally dump 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 to perform such
surveillance in unmarked vehicles may hamper 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
laws. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.