HBA-DMD C.S.H.B. 3114 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 3114
By: Uresti
County Affairs
4/26/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current Texas law, disabled veterans and recipients of the
Congressional Medal of Honor are exempt from county parking fees. However,
former prisoners of war and Purple Heart Recipients are not granted the
same exemption under state law. C.S.H.B. 3114 authorizes the commissioners
court of a county to permit a former prisoner of war or a person awarded
the Purple Heart or a Congressional Medal of Honor to park free of charge
in any county parking facility. 

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 A, Chapter 445, Local Government Code, by
adding Section 445.004, as follows: 

Sec. 445.004. FREE PARKING IN COUNTY PARKING FACILITIES. Authorizes the
commissioners court of a county by order to permit former prisoners of war
or persons awarded the Purple Heart or a Congressional Medal of Honor to
park free of charge in any county parking facility. Authorizes the
commissioners court of a county to adopt procedures to administer this
section, including procedures to verify that a person is a former prisoner
of war or has been awarded the Purple Heart or Congressional Medal of
Honor. 

SECTION 2.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: 90 days after adjournment.


COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

This substitute modifies proposed Section 445.004, Local Government Code,
in SECTION 1, by changing the title of the section from "Free Parking in
Certain County Parking Facilities" in the original bill to "Free Parking in
County Parking Facilities" in the substitute. This substitute deletes text
setting forth that this section applies only to a county with a population
of 1.18 million or more. This substitute deletes text authorizing a former
prisoner of war or a person awarded the Purple Heart or a Congressional
Medal of Honor to park free of charge in any county parking facility and
requiring the commissioners court of the county to adopt procedures to
administer this section. This substitute adds a provision authorizing the
commissioners court of a county to permit former prisoners of war or
persons awarded the Purple Heart or a Congressional Medal of Honor to park
free of charge in any county parking facility. This substitute also
authorizes the commissioners court of a county to adopt procedures to
administer this section, including procedures to verify that a person is a
former prisoner of war or has been awarded the Purple Heart or
Congressional Medal of Honor.