Bill Text: TX SB1553 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to the process for establishing speed limits on roads near certain schools.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-05-15 - Not again placed on intent calendar [SB1553 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB1553-Comm_Sub.html
By: Lucio | S.B. No. 1553 | |
(In the Senate - Filed March 5, 2019; March 14, 2019, read | ||
first time and referred to Committee on Transportation; | ||
April 23, 2019, reported adversely, with favorable Committee | ||
Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 1; April 23, 2019, | ||
sent to printer.) | ||
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1553 | By: West |
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relating to the process for establishing speed limits on roads near | ||
certain schools. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 545.355(b), Transportation Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) The commissioners court of a county may declare a lower | ||
speed limit of not less than: | ||
(1) 30 miles per hour on a county road or highway to | ||
which this section applies, if the commissioners court determines | ||
that the prima facie speed limit on the road or highway is | ||
unreasonable or unsafe; or | ||
(2) 20 miles per hour: | ||
(A) in a residence district, unless the roadway | ||
has been designated as a major thoroughfare by a city planning | ||
commission; or | ||
(B) on a county road or highway to which this | ||
section applies that is located within 500 feet of an elementary, | ||
secondary, or open-enrollment charter school or an institution of | ||
higher education, if approved under Section 545.357. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 545.357, Transportation Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 545.357. CONSIDERATION OF [ |
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SPEED LIMITS WHERE CERTAIN SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED. (a) The governing | ||
body of a municipality in which a public or private elementary or | ||
secondary school, an open-enrollment charter school, or an | ||
institution of higher education [ |
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governing body of a school or institution of higher education, hold | ||
a public hearing at least once each calendar year to consider prima | ||
facie speed limits on a highway in the municipality, including a | ||
highway of the state highway system, near the school or institution | ||
of higher education. | ||
(b) If a county road outside the state highway system is | ||
located within 500 feet of a public or private elementary or | ||
secondary school, an open-enrollment charter school, or an | ||
institution of higher education that is not in a municipality, the | ||
commissioners court of the county, on request of the governing body | ||
of a school or institution of higher education, shall hold a public | ||
hearing at least once each calendar year to consider the prima facie | ||
speed limit on the road near the school or institution of higher | ||
education. | ||
(c) A municipal governing body or commissioners court, on | ||
request of the governing body of a school or institution of higher | ||
education, may hold one public hearing for all public and private | ||
elementary and secondary schools, open-enrollment charter schools, | ||
and institutions of higher education in its jurisdiction. | ||
(d) The Texas Transportation Commission, on request of the | ||
governing body of a school or institution of higher education, | ||
shall hold a public hearing at least once each calendar year to | ||
consider prima facie speed limits on highways in the state highway | ||
system that are near public or private elementary or secondary | ||
schools, open-enrollment charter schools, or institutions of | ||
higher education. | ||
(e) On request of the governing body of a school or | ||
institution of higher education following a public hearing held | ||
under this section, the commissioners court, municipal governing | ||
body, or Texas Transportation Commission, as applicable, shall | ||
conduct an engineering and traffic investigation for the highway or | ||
road that is the subject of the request. On review of the results of | ||
the investigation, the commissioners court, municipal governing | ||
body, or Texas Transportation Commission has the same authority and | ||
discretion to alter prima facie speed limits as provided by Section | ||
545.353, 545.355, or 545.356, as applicable. Following each public | ||
hearing held under this section, the governing body of a school or | ||
institution of higher education may make only one request under | ||
this subsection for an engineering and traffic investigation. | ||
(f) In this section: | ||
(1) "Governing body of a school or institution of | ||
higher education" means: | ||
(A) the board of trustees of the school district | ||
in which a public elementary or secondary school is located; | ||
(B) the governing body of a private elementary or | ||
secondary school; | ||
(C) the governing body of an open-enrollment | ||
charter school; or | ||
(D) the governing board of an institution of | ||
higher education. | ||
(2) "Institution of higher education" means an | ||
institution of higher education or a private or independent | ||
institution of higher education, as those terms are defined by | ||
Section 61.003, Education Code. | ||
(3) "Open-enrollment charter school" has the meaning | ||
assigned by Section 5.001, Education Code. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
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