Overall Vote Recommendation

Neutral

Principle Criteria

Free Enterprise

Property Rights

Personal Responsibility

Limited Government

Individual Liberty

Digest

HB 5577 designates a portion of State Highway 315 in Panola County as the Hamby-Webb Memorial Highway. Specifically, the designation applies to the segment of State Highway 315 extending from the western Panola County line to the western municipal boundary of Carthage. The memorial designation is made in addition to any existing highway designations and does not replace or alter current names or numbering.

The bill directs the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), subject to existing statutory requirements governing commemorative highway markers, to design, construct, and install signage identifying the route as the Hamby-Webb Memorial Highway. The department is required to place markers at each end of the designated highway segment and at appropriate intermediate locations. As with other commemorative highway designations, implementation is contingent on compliance with Transportation Code provisions regarding the funding and installation of memorial markers.

Finally, the bill expresses the Legislature's intent that the new Transportation Code section be renumbered if necessary to avoid conflicts with other legislation enacted during the 89th Legislature.

The Committee Substitute for HB 5577 narrows the scope of the highway designation contained in the originally filed bill. As originally filed, the bill designated all of State Highway 315 in Panola County as the Hamby-Webb Memorial Highway. The Committee Substitute instead limits the designation to the portion of State Highway 315 extending from the western Panola County line to the western municipal boundary of Carthage. This change confines the memorial designation to a specific segment of the highway rather than the entire route within the county.

Aside from this geographic limitation, the Committee Substitute leaves the bill's substantive provisions unchanged. Both versions require the Texas Department of Transportation, subject to existing statutory requirements, to design, construct, and install commemorative highway markers at each end of the designated highway segment and at appropriate intermediate locations. Both versions also specify that the memorial designation is in addition to any other existing highway designation.

The Committee Substitute also makes only a minor nonsubstantive wording revision by changing the legislative intent language from "It is the intent of the 89th Legislature" to "It is the intention of the 89th Legislature." The effective date remains September 1, 2025, and the provision directing the renumbering of the new Transportation Code section, if necessary, is otherwise unchanged.

Author (1)

Joanne Shofner

Contact the Author

Rep. Joanne Shofner

Capitol Phone:

(512) 463-0592

Capitol Office:

EXT E1.208

E-Mail:

[email protected]

Visit Official Website

Fiscal Notes

According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), no significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated from HB 5577. The bill's primary fiscal effect is limited to the Texas Department of Transportation's installation of commemorative highway markers for the designated portion of State Highway 315 in Panola County. The LBB assumes that any costs associated with designing, constructing, and installing the required signage can be absorbed within the department's existing resources and appropriations, meaning no additional state funding is expected to be necessary.

The LBB also concludes that the bill will have no fiscal implication for units of local government. Because the measure imposes implementation responsibilities solely on the Texas Department of Transportation and does not require local governments to undertake new duties or incur additional expenditures, counties, municipalities, and other local entities are not expected to experience any financial impact as a result of the legislation.

Vote Recommendation Notes

HB 5577 is a narrowly tailored commemorative measure that designates a portion of State Highway 315 in Panola County as the Hamby-Webb Memorial Highway in honor of Kaleb Hamby and Gabriel "Corey" Webb. The bill does not create new regulatory authority, expand state programs, modify substantive transportation policy, or impose new obligations on private individuals or businesses. Its purpose is limited to recognizing the memory of two individuals through a highway designation.

According to the LBB, the bill is not expected to have a significant fiscal impact on state or local government, and any costs associated with installing commemorative highway markers can be absorbed using existing Texas Department of Transportation resources. As a result, the measure does not meaningfully affect taxpayer exposure or create ongoing administrative responsibilities.

Because the bill is ceremonial in nature and has no meaningful implications for liberty principles, Texas Policy Research remains NEUTRAL.

Individual Liberty: The bill does not create mandates, prohibitions, penalties, or restrictions on individual conduct. It simply designates a portion of State Highway 315 as the Hamby-Webb Memorial Highway.
Personal Responsibility: The bill does not alter incentives, create government dependency, or shift responsibility between individuals and the state. Its provisions are purely commemorative.
Free Enterprise: The bill does not regulate businesses, affect market competition, impose compliance requirements, or create subsidies or barriers to entry. It has no material impact on economic activity.
Private Property Rights: The designation does not affect property ownership, land use, eminent domain, or the rights of private property owners. No new obligations are imposed on private property.
Limited Government: While the bill directs the Texas Department of Transportation to install commemorative highway markers, this is a routine administrative function that does not establish a new program, expand agency authority, or create a meaningful increase in the size or scope of government.

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