HBA-DMD C.S.S.B. 322 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 322
By: Ellis
Transportation
4/23/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, there is no provision for the creation of special
license plates benefitting the Girl Scouts. C.S.S.B. 322 requires the Texas
Department of Transportation (department) to issue specially designed Girl
Scout license plates for passenger cars and light trucks. This bill
requires the department to issue license plates to certain persons. This
bill also requires the department to deposit $20 of each fee collected to
the credit of the Girl Scout account in the state treasury. It authorizes
money in the account to be used by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board in making grants to benefit educational projects sponsored or
approved by the Girl Scout Councils of Texas. C.S.S.B. 322 requires the
remainder of each fee collected, after being deposited in the Girl Scout
account, to be deposited to the credit of the state highway fund, to be
used only to defray the cost of administering this section.  

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 Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, by
adding Section 502.2931, as follows: 

Sec. 502.2931.GIRL SCOUT LICENSE PLATES. (a) Requires the Texas Department
of Transportation (department) to issue specially designed Girl Scout
license plates for passenger cars and light trucks.  

(b) Provides that the license plates must include the words "Girl Scouts." 

(c) Requires the department to design the license plates in consultation
with the Girl Scout Councils of Texas.  

(d) Requires the department to issue license plates under this section to
certain persons.  

(e) Requires the department to deposit $20 of each fee collected under this
section to the credit of the Girl Scout account in the state treasury.
Authorizes money in the account to be used by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board in making grants to benefit educational projects
sponsored by the Girl Scout Councils of Texas.  

(f) Requires the remainder of each fee collected under this section, after
being deposited in the Girl Scout account, to be deposited to the credit of
the state highway fund and authorizes the funds to be used only to defray
the cost of administering this section.  

(g) Authorizes the owner of a vehicle whose license plates were stolen,
lost, or mutilated to obtain replacement license plates from the department
by paying a replacement fee of $5. Requires the owner, if the owner of a
vehicle registered under this section disposes of the vehicle during the
registration year, to return the special license plates to the department.  
 
SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999.  

SECTION 3.Emergency clause. 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

This substitute differs from the original bill in SECTION 1 (proposed
Section 502.2931, Transportation Code), by removing the requirement in
Subsection (b) that the design of the plates be approved by the Girl Scout
Councils of Texas.  

This substitute adds new Subsection (c), which requires the Texas
Department of Transportation (department) to design license plates under
this section in consultation with the Girl Scout Councils of Texas.  

This substitute redesignates Subsections (c), (d), (e), and (f) of the
original bill to Subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g) of this substitute,
respectively.  

In Subsection (e), this substitute authorizes money in the account to be
used by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, rather than to be
used only by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in making
grants to benefit educational projects sponsored by the Girl Scout Councils
of Texas.  

In Subsection (f), this substitute makes a conforming change.

In Subsection (g), this substitute authorizes the owner of a vehicle whose
license plates were stolen, lost, or mutilated to obtain replacement
license plates from the department by paying a replacement fee of $5.