HBA- MPA H.B. 3820 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3820
By: Puente
Transportation
4/26/1999
Introduced

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, county judges are provided with specialty license plates, but
not other elected county officials.  Many state and county officials
receive special license plates.  H.B. 3820 proposes a special "county
official" license plate to be designed for county officials. 

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 502.2952, as follows: 

Sec. 502.2952.  COUNTY OFFICIALS.  (a)  Requires the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) to design and provide for the issuance of special
license plates for passenger cars and light trucks owned by persons who are
county officials of this state. 

(b) Requires that license plates issued under this section bear the words
"County Official." 

(c) Requires TxDOT to issue license plates under this section to a person
who applies to the county tax collector on a form prescribed by TxDOT, pays
the fee, and submits with the application proof that the person is a county
official of this state. 

(d) Provides that the fee for registration under this section and issuance
of the special license plates is the fee otherwise prescribed by this
chapter (Registration of Vehicles) for the vehicle. 

(e) Provides that registration under this section is valid for one year and
expires in the manner as do regular motor vehicle registrations, except as
provided by Subsection (f). 

(f) Provides that registration under this section expires when the owner of
the vehicle for which the special plates were issued ceases to be a county
official.  Requires the county official to return the special license
plates to TxDOT. 

(g) Requires the person to return the special plates to TxDOT, if the
person disposes of the vehicle during the registration year.  Authorizes
the person to apply for issuance of those plates to another vehicle. 

(h) Authorizes the owner of a vehicle for which special plates were issued
to obtain replacement plates by paying a fee of $5 if those license plates
are lost, stolen, or mutilated. 

(i) Defines "county official."

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.