HBA-MPA C.S.H.B. 2462 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2462
By: Alexander
Transportation
4/9/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Texas law allows certain farm vehicles and trailers to qualify
for a reduced vehicle or trailer registration fee.  Current statute
specifies that any vehicle or trailer which is registered under this
reduced fee may be used only by the owner of the vehicle or trailer to
transport items related to the owner's farm or ranch operation.
Accordingly, persons borrowing such a vehicle may be unwittingly breaking
the law.  C.S.H.B. 2462 removes the requirement that only the owner of a
farmregistered vehicle or trailer may use the vehicle or trailer. 

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 502.276(c), Transportation Code, to authorize a
vehicle that has, rather than an owner who obtains, a distinguishing
license plate issued under this section (Certain Farm Vehicles and Drilling
and Construction Equipment) may be operated, rather than operate,
temporarily on the highway if the vehicle meets certain conditions and is
used exclusively to transport seasonally harvested agricultural products or
livestock, rather than the owner's seasonally harvested agricultural
products and livestock, from the place of production to the place of
processing, market, or storage.   

SECTION 2.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage. 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2462 differs from the original bill by deleting the word
"registration" from the caption. The substitute redesignates SECTION 2 from
the original bill as SECTION 1, authorizing a vehicle used to transport
agricultural products or livestock to operate temporarily on the highway
with a distinguishing license plate issued under Section 502.276(b),
Transportation Code.  Section 502.163(a) (Commercial Motor Vehicle Used
Primarily for Farm Purposes; Offense), Transportation Code, does not appear
in the substitute.  It was amended in the original.  The substitute deletes
SECTION 3, the prospective clause, from the original bill, and redesignates
SECTION 4 (long emergency clause) from the original as SECTION 2 in the
substitute.