Here's what Lake Houston area residents need to know this week. Beer prices could be affected by recent legislation The Texas House of Representatives passed House Bill 3287 on May 8, which would require some brewers to sell to a distributor and buy the beer back to sell in their own taproom. The bill, which affects brewers who produce more than 225,000 barrels of beer a year, was referred to the Senate Business and Commerce Committee in May, according to the Legislature’s website. Brewers say taproom sales are a big part of their business models and help them market their beers to customers. If breweries have to sell and then buy back their own beer to serve to customers, it will mean a price hike for consumers. Harris County to appeal bail ruling Harris County Commissioners Court voted in May to appeal an April 28 injunction by Chief U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal that requires the release of inmates who cannot pay bail and are awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges. The ruling came as the result of a lawsuit filed in September 2016 alleging the county unfairly jails those who cannot afford to pay cash bail. The suit alleges that a “wealth-based pretrial detention system” violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution. Houston to vote on additional funds for Northpark Drive expansion The Houston City Council will vote in June whether to shift $18 million toward the expansion of Northpark Drive from four to six lanes between Hwy. 59 and Woodland Hills Drive, said Jessica Beemer, north sector manager for the office of Houston City Council Member Dave Martin. The funding was originally earmarked for the expansion of Kingwood Drive on the city of Houston’s 2018 Capitol Improvement Plan. I-45 will receive $7 billion overhaul in downtown Houston Construction on the initial part of a $7 billion project to overhaul I-45 from Beltway 8 in North Houston to Spur 527 at I-69 near downtown is expected to begin by 2020, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The North Houston Highway Improvement Project spans 24 miles and is needed to address inadequate highway capacity for existing and future traffic demands along the corridor, according to TxDOT. Between 2015 and 2040, average daily traffic volumes in the corridor are projected to increase by as much as 30 percent. TxDOT, which is gathering public comments for the project through June 27, will host a public hearing for the project at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Houston Community College Central Campus.