The Local Option Transportation Act (HB 9 / CSSB 855) passed in the Senate Tuesday, April 14 and will be up for hearing in House Transportation Tuesday afternoon, April 21. Effectiveness of the bill is contingent upon passage of two constitutional amendments, one allowing use of county vehicle registration fee and county motor fuel tax revenues for rail and transit and another removing “policing” as a permissible use of such revenues whether county or state levied. SJR 52 (adding transit & rail) passed in the Senate Thursday, April 16 and SJR 9 (deleting policing) will be on the senate floor Monday or Tuesday.

SB 855 (Carona) & HB 9 (Truitt) – the Texas Local Option Transportation Act – add a new chapter to the Local Government Code to authorize Austin, DFW and San Antonio counties to impose transportation taxes and fees if approved by county voters, the revenue from which may be used to fund mobility services and projects including passenger rail, transit, roadway, and freight rail:

1. an indexed county tax on the sale of motor vehicle fuel, not to exceed $0.10 per gallon
2. a local option mobility improvement fee, not to exceed $60 per vehicle per year
3. a parking regulation and management fee, not to exceed $2 per day per vehicle
4. an annual motor vehicle emissions fee, not to exceed $15
5. a driver’s license renewal fee, with the county fee equivalent to the state fee
6. a new resident roadway impact fee, not to exceed $250.

SB 855 substituted, heard and left pending in Senate Transportation & Homeland Security March 18 & 25. Substitute reported favorably from committee April 2; 15 amendments adopted on the floor April 8; passed in the Senate April 14; received in the House April 15. HB 9 set for April 21 hearing in House Transportation.