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89(R) HB 3966 - Enrolled version - Bill Text
H.B. No. 3966
AN ACT
relating to requiring owners or operators of commercial passenger
bus services to provide certain notifications to residents
concerning operations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 5, Business & Commerce Code, is
amended by adding Chapter 121 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 121. REGULATION OF COMMERCIAL PASSENGER BUS SERVICES
Sec. 121.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1)
"Commercial passenger bus service" means a
business that in exchange for compensation operates a passenger bus
service that provides regularly scheduled intercity bus
transportation to passengers using buses with at least 35 seats.
The term does not include a public transit service provided by or on
behalf of a transit authority or district, transit department,
municipality, political subdivision, or other local governmental
entity.
(2) "Terminal" means an installation:
(A)
located on the premises of a commercial
passenger bus service; and
(B)
at which tickets are sold to passengers by
the service.
Sec.
121.002.
NOTIFICATION OF NEW TERMINALS. (a) Except as
provided by Subsection (d), at least 90 calendar days before the
date an owner or operator of a commercial passenger bus service
begins operating a new terminal located in this state, the owner or
operator shall provide notice of the proposed terminal to the
community in which the terminal is to be located as prescribed by
Subsection (b).
(b) The notice required by this section must:
(1)
be published in a newspaper of general circulation
in the municipality:
(A)
in which the proposed terminal is to be
located; or
(B)
nearest to the proposed location of the
terminal; and
(2)
except as provided by Subsection (c), if the
elementary or middle school nearest to the proposed location of the
terminal provides a bilingual education program as required by
Subchapter B, Chapter 29, Education Code, be published by the owner
or operator at least once in an additional publication of general
circulation in the municipality or county in which the terminal is
proposed to be located that is published in the language taught in
the bilingual education program.
(c)
An owner or operator of a commercial bus service does
not have to comply with the requirements of Subsection (b)(2) if:
(1)
a publication described by that subdivision does
not exist; or
(2)
the publisher of a publication that meets the
requirements of that subdivision refuses to publish notice.
(d)
An owner or operator of a commercial passenger bus
service does not have to comply with this section if the owner or
operator is operating or intends to temporarily operate the new
terminal in response to an unforeseen emergency, including a
natural disaster or road closures.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
______________________________
______________________________
President of the Senate
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3966 was passed by the House on May
15, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 116, Nays 24, 2 present, not
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
No. 3966 on May 29, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 89, Nays 44,
1 present, not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3966 was passed by the Senate, with
amendments, on May 26, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 26, Nays
5.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor