HBA-MPA C.S.H.B. 2768 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2768
By: Pickett
Transportation
4/18/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, hundreds of disabled veterans use the DV license plates on one
vehicle under the present statute.  As with many households many veterans
have more than one vehicle.  Often the vehicle with the DV plates may at
some point be out of commission and the veteran does not get full benefit
from the special license plates.  C.S.H.B. 2768 allows veterans to purchase
a second set of special license plates for a vehicle registered to the
veteran at full price.   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 502.254, Transportation Code, as follows:

Sec. 502.254.  VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES.  (a) Requires the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to issue special license plates for
passenger cars and light trucks that are owned by veterans of the United
States armed forces.  Provides that the veteran is entitled to register one
or more passenger cars or light trucks under this section. Makes a
conforming change. 

(b) Makes a conforming change.

(c) Makes nonsubstantive changes.

(g) Provides that the fee for issuance of license plates under this section
is $3 for the first set of license plates, and the applicable annual fee
prescribed by Section 502.161 (Fee: Passenger Car, Municipal Bus, Private
Bus) for each additional set of license plates. Make conforming changes. 

(i) Makes conforming changes.

(h) Makes a nonsubstantive change.

(i) Authorizes TxDOT to adopt rules to administer this section.

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2768 differs from the original bill in SECTION 1 (Section 502.254,
Transportation Code) by replacing the $15 fee for each additional set of DV
license plates with the applicable annual fee prescribed by Section 502.161
(Fee:  Passenger Car, Municipal Bus, Private Bus) for each additional set
of license plates.