2015S0442-1 03/10/15
	By: Hinojosa, et al.	S.B. No. 1953

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to the establishment of the Texas-Mexico Commission.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  The heading to Chapter 490B, Government Code, is
	amended to read as follows:
	CHAPTER 490B. TEXAS-MEXICO [STRATEGIC INVESTMENT] COMMISSION
	SECTION 2.  Sections 490B.001, 490B.002, and 490B.003,
	Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 490B.001.  DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
	(1)  "Advisory committee" means the border inspection,
	trade, and transportation advisory committee established under
	Section 490B.009.
	(2)  "Commission" means the Texas-Mexico [Strategic
	Investment] Commission.
	(3)  "Director" means the border affairs director.
	(4)  "Interagency work group" means the interagency
	work group on border issues established under Section 490B.008.
	(5) [(2)]  "Texas-Mexico border region" has the
	meaning assigned by Section 2056.002.
	Sec. 490B.002.  PURPOSE. The ongoing economic stability and
	growth of Texas and the improved quality of life for all Texans are
	dependent in part on coordination with neighboring states. Texas
	and the Mexican border states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon,
	and Tamaulipas face common challenges in the areas of
	infrastructure, health care, access to and availability of water,
	economic development and trade, security and public safety, and
	environmental protection. The commission will encourage a
	collaborative approach between Texas and neighboring Mexican
	states in specific areas so as to better address challenges and plan
	for the future.
	Sec. 490B.003.  TEXAS-MEXICO [STRATEGIC INVESTMENT]
	COMMISSION; MEMBERS. (a)  The Texas-Mexico [Strategic Investment]
	Commission is established.
	(b)  The commission is composed of:
	(1)  the director [border commerce coordinator] or the
	director's [a] designee;
	(2)  the secretary of state [executive director of the
	Texas Department of Transportation] or the secretary's [a]
	designee;
	(3)  one member appointed by the governor;
	(4)  one member appointed by the lieutenant governor;
	and
	(5)  one member appointed by the speaker of the house of
	representatives [the executive administrator of the Texas Water
	Development Board or a designee;
	[(4) the commissioner of state health services or a
	designee;
	[(5) the chair of the Railroad Commission or a designee;
	and
	[(6) the executive director of the Texas Commission on
	Environmental Quality or a designee].
	(c)  The secretary of state or the secretary's designee
	[border commerce coordinator] shall serve as the chair of the
	commission.
	(d)  To be eligible for appointment to the commission by the
	governor, lieutenant governor, or speaker of the house of
	representatives, a person must have resided in a county that
	borders the United Mexican States for the three years immediately
	preceding the date on which the person's term will begin.
	SECTION 3.  Section 490B.004, Government Code, is amended by
	amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsection (e) to read
	as follows:
	(a)  The commission shall:
	(1)  represent government agencies within the
	Texas-Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by improving
	communication and cooperation between federal, state, and local
	governments;
	(2)  examine trade issues between the United States and
	Mexico;
	(3)  study the flow of commerce at ports of entry
	between this state and Mexico, including the movement of commercial
	vehicles across the border, and establish a plan to aid that
	commerce and improve the movement of those vehicles;
	(4)  work with federal officials to resolve
	transportation issues involving infrastructure, including roads
	and bridges, to allow for the efficient movement of goods and people
	across the border between Texas and Mexico;
	(5)  work with federal officials to create a unified
	federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs;
	(6)  identify problems involved with border truck
	inspections and related trade and transportation infrastructure;
	(7)  work to increase funding for the North American
	Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater
	facilities;
	(8)  explore the sale of excess electric power from
	Texas to Mexico;
	(9)  identify areas of environmental protection that
	need to be addressed cooperatively between Texas and the Mexican
	states;
	(10)  identify common challenges to health care on
	which all states can collaborate; [and]
	(11)  develop recommendations, when possible, for
	addressing border security challenges; and
	(12)  establish and appoint committees as it considers
	necessary to study specific issues affecting the Texas-Mexico
	border region.
	(d)  The commission shall [may] meet at least once a year. In
	each even-numbered year, the commission shall meet for a
	Texas-Mexico Border Summit to be held in a county of this state that
	borders the United Mexican States. The commission shall invite to
	the summit [with] representatives from the Mexican states of
	Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas [during the Border
	Governors Conference] to discuss issues and challenges of the
	Texas-Mexico border region and develop strategic collaborative
	approaches for addressing the challenges.
	(e)  Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the
	commission shall submit to the legislature its recommendations to
	address challenges faced by the Texas-Mexico border region.
	SECTION 4.  Chapter 490B, Government Code, is amended by
	adding Sections 490B.006, 490B.007, 490B.008, 490B.009, and
	490B.010 to read as follows:
	Sec. 490B.006.  ADMINISTRATIVE ATTACHMENT; SUPPORT; BUDGET.
	(a)  The commission is administratively attached to the Center for
	Border Economic and Enterprise Development established under
	Section 79.09, Education Code.
	(b)  The Center for Border Economic and Enterprise
	Development shall provide administrative support services,
	including human resources, budget, accounting, purchasing,
	payroll, information technology, and legal support services, to the
	commission as necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
	(c)  The commission, in accordance with the rules and
	procedures of the Legislative Budget Board, shall prepare, approve,
	and submit a legislative appropriations request that is separate
	from the legislative appropriations request for the Center for
	Border Economic and Enterprise Development and that is to be used in
	developing the commission's budget structure. The commission shall
	maintain the commission's legislative appropriations request and
	budget structure separately from those of the center.
	Sec. 490B.007.  BORDER AFFAIRS DIRECTOR. (a)  The governor
	shall appoint a border affairs director to serve at the will of the
	governor in the governor's office or in the office of the secretary
	of state, as determined by the governor. The director shall:
	(1)  examine trade issues between the United States,
	Mexico, and Canada;
	(2)  act as an ombudsman for government agencies within
	the Texas-Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by
	improving communication and cooperation between federal, state,
	and local governments;
	(3)  study the flow of commerce at ports of entry
	between this state and Mexico, including the movement of commercial
	vehicles across the border, and establish a plan to aid that
	commerce and improve the movement of those vehicles;
	(4)  work with federal officials to resolve
	transportation issues involving infrastructure, including roads
	and bridges, to allow for the efficient movement of goods and people
	across the border between Texas and Mexico;
	(5)  work with federal officials to create a unified
	federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs;
	(6)  work to increase funding for the North American
	Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater
	facilities; and
	(7)  explore the sale of excess electric power from
	Texas to Mexico.
	(b)  The director shall work with the interagency work group
	and with local governments, metropolitan planning organizations,
	and other appropriate community organizations adjacent to or
	located near the border between Texas and Mexico, and with
	comparable entities in Mexican states adjacent to that border, to
	address the unique planning and capacity needs of those areas. The
	director shall assist those governments, organizations, and
	entities in identifying and developing initiatives to address those
	needs. Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the
	director shall submit to the presiding officer of each house of the
	legislature a report of the director's activities under this
	subsection during the preceding biennium.
	(c)  The director shall:
	(1)  work with private industry and appropriate
	entities of Texas and the United States to require that low-sulfur
	fuel be sold along highways in Texas carrying increased traffic
	related to activities under the North American Free Trade
	Agreement; and
	(2)  work with representatives of the government of
	Mexico and the governments of those Mexican states bordering Texas
	to increase the use of low-sulfur fuel.
	Sec. 490B.008.  INTERAGENCY WORK GROUP ON BORDER ISSUES.
	(a)  The interagency work group on border issues is created to:
	(1)  develop or update a process to allow agencies to
	work together on issues that face border communities;
	(2)  discuss and coordinate programs and services
	offered to border communities and residents of border communities;
	and
	(3)  develop regulatory and legislative
	recommendations to eliminate duplication and combine program
	services.
	(b)  The interagency work group is composed of the heads of
	the following agencies or their designees:
	(1)  the Texas Department of Agriculture;
	(2)  the Texas Department of Housing and Community
	Affairs;
	(3)  the Texas Water Development Board;
	(4)  the Texas Department of Transportation;
	(5)  the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality;
	(6)  the Texas Workforce Commission;
	(7)  the Department of State Health Services;
	(8)  the Health and Human Services Commission;
	(9)  the General Land Office;
	(10)  the Texas Economic Development and Tourism
	Office;
	(11)  the Office of State-Federal Relations;
	(12)  the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
	(13)  the attorney general's office;
	(14)  the secretary of state's office;
	(15)  the Department of Public Safety; and
	(16)  the Railroad Commission of Texas.
	(c)  The interagency work group shall meet at least once each
	year to discuss border issues and to provide information showing
	the impact each agency has on border communities for use in
	developing border policy. In even-numbered years, the work group
	shall meet at the biennial Texas-Mexico Border Summit hosted by the
	commission under Section 490B.004(d).
	(d)  In fulfilling its duties, the work group shall consider
	the effect of policies instituted by the federal government
	impacting the Texas-Mexico border region.
	Sec. 490B.009.  BORDER INSPECTION, TRADE, AND
	TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a)  The director shall
	establish and appoint the members of the border inspection, trade,
	and transportation advisory committee. The members must include
	representatives of the Texas Department of Transportation, the
	Department of Public Safety, and the Office of State-Federal
	Relations and may include representatives of the United States
	Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
	Administration, and other representatives of state and federal
	agencies involved in border crossing issues. Chapter 2110 does not
	apply to the size, composition, or duration of the advisory
	committee.
	(b)  The director shall work with the advisory committee and
	the interagency work group to:
	(1)  identify problems involved with border truck
	inspections and related trade and transportation infrastructure;
	and
	(2)  develop recommendations for addressing those
	problems.
	(c)  The director shall work with the advisory committee and
	appropriate agencies of Texas, the United States, and Mexico to
	develop initiatives to mitigate congestion at ports of entry at the
	Texas-Mexico border by conducting in Mexico inspections of trucks
	entering Texas. In developing the initiatives, the director shall
	give consideration to similar initiatives proposed or implemented
	at the border of the United States and Canada.
	(d)  The director shall report quarterly to the presiding
	officer of each house of the legislature on the findings and
	recommendations of the advisory committee.
	Sec. 490B.010.  TRADE AND COMMERCE PLAN. (a)  The director
	shall develop, in conjunction with representatives of chambers of
	commerce, metropolitan planning organizations adjacent to or
	located near the border between Texas and Mexico, and private
	industry groups, and with the advice of the interagency work group,
	a comprehensive trade and commerce plan for the Texas-Mexico border
	region designed to:
	(1)  increase trade by attracting new business
	ventures;
	(2)  support expansion of existing industries; and
	(3)  address workforce training needs.
	(b)  The plan must cover 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year
	periods.
	(c)  The director shall work with industries and communities
	on both sides of the border to develop international industry
	cluster initiatives to capitalize on resources available in
	communities adjacent to each other across the border.
	(d)  The director shall conduct annual conferences of
	interested persons, working with chambers of commerce and
	universities of this state in the Texas-Mexico border region, and
	shall host those conferences at no cost to the director.  The
	purposes of the conferences are to:
	(1)  make the trade and commerce plan public;
	(2)  report on updated findings and progress in
	implementing the plan; and
	(3)  develop new international industry cluster
	initiatives.
	SECTION 5.  Sections 411.0097(b) and (d), Government Code,
	as added by Chapter 693 (S.B. 293), Acts of the 79th Legislature,
	Regular Session, 2005, are amended to read as follows:
	(b)  To assist the department in carrying out this section,
	the department shall contact the border affairs director appointed
	[commerce coordinator designated] under Section 490B.007 [772.010]
	and the mayors of each municipality in this state in which a port of
	entry for land traffic is located.
	(d)  The department, in conjunction with the border affairs
	director [commerce coordinator], shall develop short-range and
	long-range plans, including recommendations to increase bilateral
	relations with Mexico and expedite trade by mitigating delays in
	border crossing inspections for northbound truck traffic. In
	developing the plans, the department and the border affairs
	director [coordinator] shall consider information obtained from
	any meetings under Subsection (a). The department shall update the
	plan biennially.
	SECTION 6.  Section 201.114(b), Transportation Code, is
	amended to read as follows:
	(b)  The border affairs director appointed under Section
	490B.007, Government Code, [coordinator] shall serve on the Border
	Trade Advisory Committee as presiding officer. The commission
	shall appoint the other members of the committee, which to the
	extent practicable must include:
	(1)  the presiding officers, or persons designated by
	the presiding officers, of the policy boards of metropolitan
	planning organizations wholly or partly in the department's Pharr,
	Laredo, Odessa, or El Paso transportation district;
	(2)  the person serving, or a person designated by the
	person serving, in the capacity of executive director of each
	entity governing a port of entry in this state;
	(3)  a representative each from at least two institutes
	or centers operated by a university in this state that conduct
	continuing research on transportation or trade issues; and
	(4)  the port director of the Port of Brownsville or the
	port director's designee.
	SECTION 7.  Sections 201.207(b) and (d), Transportation
	Code, are amended to read as follows:
	(b)  To assist the department in carrying out this section,
	the department shall contact the border affairs director appointed
	[commerce coordinator designated] under Section 490B.007
	[772.010], Government Code, and the mayors of each municipality in
	this state in which a port of entry for land traffic is located.
	(d)  The department, in conjunction with the border affairs
	director [commerce coordinator], shall develop short-range and
	long-range plans, including recommendations to increase bilateral
	relations with Mexico and expedite trade by mitigating delays in
	border crossing inspections for northbound truck traffic. In
	developing the plans, the department and the border affairs
	director [coordinator] shall consider information obtained from
	any meetings under Subsection (a). The department shall update the
	plan biennially.
	SECTION 8.  The following provisions are repealed:
	(1)  Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by
	Chapter 429 (S.B. 1136), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
	Session, 1999;
	(2)  Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by
	Chapter 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
	Session, 1999;
	(3)  Section 772.010, Government Code, as reenacted and
	amended by Chapter 1215 (H.B. 925), Acts of the 79th Legislature,
	Regular Session, 2005;
	(4)  Sections 772.0101, 772.0102, and 772.011,
	Government Code; and
	(5)  Section 201.114(a), Transportation Code.
	SECTION 9.  (a)  Effective September 1, 2015:
	(1)  the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment Commission
	is abolished and the powers and duties of that commission are
	transferred to the Texas-Mexico Commission in accordance with
	Chapter 490B, Government Code, as amended by this Act; and
	(2)  the border commerce coordinator becomes the border
	affairs director in accordance with Section 490B.007, Government
	Code, as added by this Act.
	(b)  As soon as possible after the effective date of this
	Act, the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of
	representatives shall appoint members of the Texas-Mexico
	Commission in accordance with Section 490B.003, Government Code, as
	amended by this Act.
	(c)  All rules of the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment
	Commission are continued in effect as rules of the Texas-Mexico
	Commission until superseded by a rule of the Texas-Mexico
	Commission. An activity conducted by the Texas-Mexico Strategic
	Investment Commission is considered to be an activity conducted by
	the Texas-Mexico Commission.
	(d)  A reference in another law or an administrative rule to
	the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment Commission means the
	Texas-Mexico Commission. A reference in another law or an
	administrative rule to the border commerce coordinator means the
	border affairs director.
	(e)  All money, records, property, and equipment in the
	possession of the Texas-Mexico Strategic Investment Commission on
	September 1, 2015, shall be transferred to the possession of the
	Texas-Mexico Commission on September 1, 2015, or as soon as
	possible after that date.
	SECTION 10.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.