Texas Transportation Code Title 4, Chapter 66 - Houston Pilots Licensing And Regulatory Act
SUBCHAPTER A GENERAL PROVISIONS
- Texas Section 66.001 - Short Title
This chapter may be cited as the Houston Pilots Licensing and Regulatory Act. Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
- Texas Section 66.002 - Definitions
In this chapter: (1) "Board" means the board of pilot commissioners for Harris County ports. (2) "Consignee" means a person, including a master, owner, agent,...
SUBCHAPTER B BOARD OF PILOT COMMISSIONERS
- Texas Section 66.003 - Applicability Of Chapter
This chapter applies only to a Harris County port. Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
- Texas Section 66.011 - Board
The board of pilot commissioners for the ports of Harris County is composed of the port commissioners of the Port of Houston Authority of Harris...
- Texas Section 66.012 - Prohibited Interest
A person may not be a member of the board if the person, directly or indirectly, is engaged in or has an interest in any...
- Texas Section 66.013 - Oath
Before beginning service as a board member, each board member must take and sign, before a person authorized to administer oaths, an oath to faithfully...
- Texas Section 66.014 - Term Of Office
A board member serves a term of office that coincides with the member's term as a port commissioner. Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec....
- Texas Section 66.015 - Jurisdiction
The board has exclusive jurisdiction over the piloting of vessels in Harris County ports, including intermediate stops and landing places for vessels on navigable streams...
- Texas Section 66.016 - Administration; Rules
(a) The board shall administer this chapter and may perform any act or function necessary to carry out its powers and duties under this chapter....
- Texas Section 66.017 - Duties
The board shall: (1) establish the number of pilots necessary to provide adequate pilot services for each Harris County port; (2) accept applications for pilot...
- Texas Section 66.018 - Unfair Discrimination Prohibited
(a) In all its duties, including rulemaking, the board may not sanction discriminatory practices or discriminate against a pilot or pilot applicant because of race,...
- Texas Section 66.019 - Open Meetings Law
Chapter 551, Government Code, applies to actions and proceedings under this chapter. Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
- Texas Section 66.020 - Rule Or Rate Change
(a) The board shall give at least 10 days' notice as provided by this section before the board adopts a rule or changes a pilotage...
- Texas Section 66.021 - Contested Case Notice
The board shall post in the board office for public inspection a notice that includes the same information as the notice given to the parties...
SUBCHAPTER C PILOT LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES
- Texas Section 66.022 - Judicial Review
Proceedings for judicial review of a board decision shall be brought in a district court in Harris County. Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec....
- Texas Section 66.031 - License Or Certificate Required
A person may not provide pilot services unless the person has a license or certificate issued under this chapter for the Harris County ports in...
- Texas Section 66.032 - Exemptions
The requirement to use a pilot does not apply to: (1) a vessel sailing under enrollment, or licensed or engaged in the coasting trade between...
- Texas Section 66.033 - Qualifications For License
To be eligible for a license as a branch pilot, a person must: (1) be at least 25 years of age and less than 68...
- Texas Section 66.034 - Qualifications For Certificate
To be eligible for a certificate as a deputy branch pilot, a person must: (1) be at least 25 years of age; (2) be a...
- Texas Section 66.035 - Application For License Or Certificate
To apply for a branch pilot's license or a deputy branch pilot's certificate, a person must give to the board a written application in the...
- Texas Section 66.036 - Consideration Of Application
(a) The board shall carefully consider each application and shall conduct any investigation it considers necessary to determine whether an applicant is qualified for a...
- Texas Section 66.037 - Branch Pilot Appointment By Governor
(a) On filing of the bond and oath required by Section 66.039, the board shall certify to the governor that a person licensed as a...
- Texas Section 66.038 - Deputy Branch Pilot Appointment By Branch Pilot
(a) Each branch pilot may appoint, subject to examination and approval by the board, two deputy branch pilots for whose acts the branch pilot is...
- Texas Section 66.039 - Oath; Bond
(a) A person appointed as a pilot must take the official oath before entering service as a pilot. The oath shall be endorsed on the...
- Texas Section 66.040 - Terms Of Licenses And Certificates
(a) A branch pilot's license expires on the fourth anniversary of the date it is issued or renewed, provided that no pilot may furnish pilot...
- Texas Section 66.041 - Branch Pilot's License Renewal
(a) The governor shall renew a branch pilot's expiring license if the board recommends renewal. (b) If a pilot applies in writing and qualifies, the...
- Texas Section 66.042 - Deputy Branch Pilot
A person who has been issued a deputy branch pilot's certificate may not be issued a deputy branch pilot's certificate before the fifth anniversary of...
- Texas Section 66.043 - Suspension Or Revocation Of Branch Pilot's License
(a) On complaint or on its own motion, and after notice and hearing, the board may suspend a branch pilot's license for not more than...
- Texas Section 66.044 - Suspension Or Revocation Of Deputy Branch Pilot's Certificate
A deputy branch pilot's certificate may be suspended or revoked by the board in the same manner and for the same reasons as provided for...
SUBCHAPTER D PILOTAGE RATES
- Texas Section 66.045 - Liability To Pilot
(a) A person who is not a pilot and who, in violation of this chapter, pilots a vessel and the consignee of the vessel are...
- Texas Section 66.061 - Pilotage Rate Change
The board may not change pilotage rates before the first anniversary of the preceding rate change. Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff....
- Texas Section 66.062 - Pilotage Rate Change Application
(a) An application for a change in pilotage rates may be submitted to the board by: (1) a pilot; (2) an association of pilots; (3)...
- Texas Section 66.063 - Pilot Financial Report
(a) Not later than the 10th day before the date set for a pilotage rate hearing, the pilots who are licensed or certified to serve...
- Texas Section 66.064 - Factors For Board Consideration
In establishing pilotage rates, the board shall consider factors relevant to determining reasonable and just pilotage rates, including: (1) characteristics of vessels to be piloted;...
- Texas Section 66.065 - Rate Decision
Not later than the 10th day after the date of the completion of a hearing on an application for a change in pilotage rates, the...
- Texas Section 66.066 - Costs
The board, in a final order under this subchapter, may charge all or part of the costs of processing an application to the parties in...
- Texas Section 66.067 - Appeal Of Board Decision
Any party aggrieved by a board decision on pilotage rates, after exhausting all administrative remedies, may appeal the order to a court. Acts 1995, 74th...
- Texas Section 66.068 - Emergency Pilotage Rates
(a) The board may establish emergency pilotage rates for the period of an emergency, not to exceed 30 days, if the board finds that: (1)...
- Texas Section 66.069 - Pilot Services Required
The consignee of a vessel under the consignee's control shall obtain pilot services for the vessel and shall pay the pilot who pilots the vessel...
- Texas Section 66.070 - Pilotage Rate Liability
(a) A consignee who declines the services of a pilot offered outside the bar and enters the port without the aid of a pilot is...
SUBCHAPTER E PILOT LIABILITY
- Texas Section 66.071 - Recovery Of Compensation
A pilot who offers pilot services to a vessel required under this chapter to obtain pilot services and whose services are refused is entitled to...
- Texas Section 66.081 - Purpose
The purpose of this subchapter is to: (1) in the public interest, stimulate and preserve maritime commerce on the pilotage grounds of this state by...
- Texas Section 66.082 - Pilot Liability
A pilot is not liable directly or as a member of an organization of pilots for any claim that: (1) arises from an act or...
- Texas Section 66.083 - Pilot Liability Limited
(a) A pilot providing pilot services is not liable for more than $1,000 for damage or loss caused by the pilot's error, omission, fault, or...
Last modified: September 28, 2016