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;

(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 Mexico, 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 Mexico 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 Mexico that has an adjoining sister city in Mexico. 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.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 429, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1339, Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 1999.

Reenacted and amended by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1215 (H.B. 925), Sec. 3(a), eff. September 1, 2005.

Reenacted and amended by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 429 (S.B. 1389), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015.