HBA-ALS H.B. 3662 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3662
By: Wise
Transportation
4/12/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The purpose of this bill is to allow the Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) to issue a specialized vanity license plate in honor of the citrus
industry in Texas.  H.B. 3662 requires TxDOT to issue specially designed
license plates for an annual registration fee recognizing the Texas citrus
industry. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) in SECTION 1 (Section 502.299, Transportation Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, by adding
Section 502.299, as follows: 

Sec. 502.299.  TEXAS CITRUS INDUSTRY. (a) Requires the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) to issue specially designed license plates for
passenger cars and light trucks in honor of the citrus industry in this
state.  

(b) Requires the TxDOT to issue license plates under this section to a
person who applies to the county assessor-collector of the county in which
the person resides on a form provided by TxDOT and pays the annual fee
established by TxDOT under Subsection (c), in addition to the applicable
fees prescribed by Sections 502.161 (Fee: Passenger Car, Municipal Bus,
Private Bus) and 502.251 (Personalized Prestige License Plates).  

(c) Requires TxDOT, by rule, to establish the annual fee for registration
in an amount that when added to the other fees collected by TxDOT, does not
exceed the amount to recover the actual cost of issuing license plates. 

SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999. 

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.