HBA-NRS C.S.H.B. 15 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 15 By: Corte Transportation 4/25/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law requires the Texas Department of Transportation to issue specially designed license plates for motorcycles, passenger cars, and light trucks regularly operated for noncommercial use by or for the transportation of a person with a permanent disability. The law defines a light truck as having a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of one ton or less. Certain vehicles such as recreational vehicles (RVs) are excluded from receiving license plates for people with permanent disabilities because they weigh more than one ton. Yet, there are permanently disabled persons who utilize RVs for traveling. In addition, facilities, institutions, and residential retirement communities that provide care for veterans with disabilities are excluded from receiving such license plates for their buses or vans used to transport veterans with disabilities. C.S.H.B. 15 requires the Texas Department of Transportation to provide for the issuance of specially designed license plates for all motor vehicles with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of two tons or less regularly operated for noncommercial use by or for the transportation of a person with a permanent disability or a veteran with a disability. 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. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 15 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide for the issuance of specially designed license plates to certain persons with disabilities for a van or bus operated by an institution, facility, or residential retirement community for the elderly or for veterans in which a person cannot walk long distances or is visually impaired or is a veteran with a disability resides, including a licensed convalescent home, nursing home, or related institution, or a licensed continuing care facility or assisted living facility. The bill provides that the application for registration must include a form prescribed by TxDOT, an applicable fee, and, under some circumstances, be submitted to the assessor-collector of the county in which the person resides or evidence required by TxDOT that the applicant may register as a veteran with a disability. The application for registration must be accompanied by a written statement certifying that the institution, facility, or residential retirement community regularly transports one or more persons who cannot walk long distances or are visually impaired or are veterans with a disability reside. The bill provides for the issuance of specially designed license plates for motor vehicles with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of two tons or less, rather than motorcycles, passenger cars, and light trucks, regularly operated for noncommercial use by or for the transportation of a person with a permanent disability. The bill also provides that a person entitled to register such a vehicle is entitled to a set of special license plates for each motor vehicle with a carrying capacity of two tons or less, rather than a motorcycle, passenger car, or light truck, owned by the person that is equipped with certain special equipment. The bill requires TxDOT to issue specially designed license plates for motor vehicles with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of two tons or less rather than passenger cars and light trucks that are owned by veterans with disabilities. A veteran with a disability is entitled to register two motor vehicles. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 15 modifies the original bill to allow certain facilities, institutions, or residential retirement communities that care for persons with disabilities or veterans with disabilities, or individuals described as persons with disabilities or veterans with disabilities to apply for specially designed license plates for certain motor vehicles with a carrying capacity of two tons or more.