| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB3854, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2019.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
HB 3854 amends current Transportation Code by adding a subchapter that would authorize permits for intermodal shipping containers.
The bill would require the. The Department of Transportation would be authorized to administer permits based on the number of axles and weight of the vehicle. The department may approve the purchase of an annual permit for containers traveling within 30 miles of a port of entry or an international bridge with the to carry cargo so long as it is sealed with a United States customs seal.
If two vehicles operating under this permit are involved in an accident, the law enforcement report must include the weight and number of axles of the vehicle combination. The annual permit would allow the state to compete with surrounding states in the import and export of intermodal commodities.
Although the additional regulations on weight restrictions and permitting process is over burdensome to the private entities involved in transporting the containers, the authority to make reasonable changes to the weight restrictions of the containers to ensure safe roadways is within the legitimate role of the state government.
This bill seeks to address the significant increase in shipping overweight shipment of sealed containers over Texas border and other ports of entries.
The provisions of this bill do not appear to have a connection to our liberty principles, therefore, we remain neutral on HB 3854.