BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1379

By: Ortega

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Downtown Interstate 10 Project in El Paso is currently underway. It consists of the reconstruction of a segment of Interstate 10, including the trenched section and associated bridges that has created a physical barrier between downtown El Paso and the rest of the community since the 1960s. As the project has progressed, support for an El Paso Deck Plaza Project has emerged from the El Paso Mobility Coalition, Borderplex Alliance, and the Paso del Norte foundation. This project would reclaim an area currently marked by a high-speed interstate into a true multimodal transportation facility that is inviting to all. The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) has offered its services to perform the engineering and construction needed to develop the deck plaza. The CRRMA is authorized by the Regional Mobility Authority Act to develop a wide range of transportation projects and is equipped with a variety of tools with which to procure the development of those projects. However, a project like a deck plaza is not currently included as an eligible project for a regional mobility authority to complete. H.B. 1379 seeks to revise the definition of a "transportation project" under the Regional Mobility Authority Act to include an urban green space or aesthetic improvement and set out the transportation projects, which the CRRMA is currently authorized to develop, that could be included within an urban green space or aesthetic enhancement, such as intermodal hubs, parking areas, or recreational, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1379 amends the Transportation Code to expand the definition of "transportation project" under the Regional Mobility Authority Act by including an urban green space or aesthetic enhancement located above, adjacent to, or connected to an interstate highway, which may include the following:

·         recreational, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities;

·         an intermodal hub;

·         parking areas; and

·         components that will benefit users of transit, pedestrian, and other transportation modes, and promote economic development in areas on or adjacent to the urban green space or aesthetic enhancement.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2023.