84R11578 GRM-D
	By: Lucio III	H.B. No. 3378

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to the border commerce coordinator.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by
	Chapter 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
	Session, 1999, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 772.010.  BORDER COMMERCE COORDINATOR.  (a)  The
	governor shall designate a border commerce coordinator in the
	governor's office or the office of the secretary of state as
	determined by the governor. The coordinator shall:
	(1)  examine trade issues between the United States,
	Mexico, and Canada;
	(2)  act as an ombudsman for government agencies within
	the Texas and Mexico border region to help reduce regulations by
	improving communication and cooperation between federal, state,
	and local governments;
	(3)  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;
	(4)  work with federal officials to create a unified
	federal agency process to streamline border crossing needs;
	(5)  work to increase funding for the North American
	Development Bank to assist in the financing of water and wastewater
	facilities; [and]
	(6)  explore the sale of excess electric power from
	Texas to Mexico;
	(7)  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;
	(8)  work to identify problems associated with border
	truck inspections and related trade and transportation
	infrastructure and develop recommendations for addressing those
	problems;
	(9)  work with the appropriate state and federal
	agencies to develop initiatives to mitigate congestion at ports of
	entry; and
	(10)  develop recommendations designed to:
	(A)  increase trade by attracting new business
	ventures;
	(B)  support expansion of existing and new
	industries; and
	(C)  address workforce training needs.
	(b)  The governor shall appoint a border commerce
	coordinator to serve at the will of the governor in the governor's
	office or in the office of the secretary of state and may select the
	secretary of state as the coordinator.
	(c)  The coordinator shall work with the interagency work
	group established under Section 772.011, with local governments,
	metropolitan planning organizations, and other appropriate
	community organizations adjacent to the border of this state with
	the United Mexican States, and with comparable entities in Mexican
	states adjacent to that border to address the unique planning and
	capacity needs of those areas.  The coordinator shall assist those
	governments, organizations, and entities to identify and develop
	initiatives to address those needs.  Before January 1 of each year,
	the coordinator shall submit to the presiding officer of each house
	of the legislature a report of the coordinator's activities under
	this subsection during the preceding year.
	(d)  The coordinator 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 the
	United Mexican States and the governments of Mexican states
	bordering Texas to increase the use of low-sulfur fuel.
	(e)  The coordinator shall appoint a border mayor task force,
	to be named the Texas Good Neighbor Committee, consisting of the
	mayors from every municipality located in this state along the
	border between Texas and the United Mexican States.  The task force
	shall:
	(1)  advise the coordinator on key trade, security, and
	transportation-related issues important to the municipalities
	appointed to the task force;
	(2)  hold quarterly meetings with mayors from Mexico
	to:
	(A)  increase:
	(i)  cooperation;
	(ii)  communication; and
	(iii)  the flow of information;
	(B)  identify problems; and
	(C)  recommend solutions;
	(3)  seek assistance and input from private sector
	stakeholders involved in commerce to identify issues to address;
	and
	(4)  provide recommendations to assist the coordinator
	in carrying out the coordinator's statutory duties.
	SECTION 2.  (a)  Section 772.010, Government Code, as added
	by Chapter 429 (S.B. 1136), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
	Session, 1999, is repealed.
	(b)  Section 3(a), Chapter 1215 (H.B. 925), Acts of the 79th
	Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, which reenacted and amended
	Section 772.010, Government Code, as added by Chapters 429 (S.B.
	1136) and 1339 (H.B. 564), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
	Session, 1999, is repealed.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.