HBA-MSH C.S.H.B. 2124 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2124 By: Noriega Transportation 3/26/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Texas uses a single procedure to register all vehicles in the state. Annually, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) mails a registration renewal form to the owner of each vehicle. Some businesses have a large number of vehicles, and receive a renewal notice for each vehicle which must be received, completed, and mailed back, creating a large amount of paperwork for the business as well as for the state. C.S.H.B. 2124 creates a consolidated registration system for vehicles in a fleet. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Department of Transportation in SECTION 1 (Section 502.0022, Transportation Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 2124 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to develop and implement a system of registration so that an owner of a fleet of motor vehicles (owner) may consolidate the registration of the vehicles in that fleet as an alternative to the separate registration of each motor vehicle in the fleet. The bill provides that a system of consolidated registration must allow an owner to register an entire fleet of motor vehicles in the county of the owner's residence or principal place of business, or to register those vehicles in a fleet of vehicles that are operated most regularly in the same county by registering the vehicles in that county. The bill requires TxDOT to define by rule "fleet" for these purposes. The bill authorizes TxDOT to adopt rules to administer the consolidated registration system. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 2124 differs from the original by specifically requiring the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to develop and implement a consolidated registration system and setting forth registration requirements under the system. The substitute grants rulemaking authority to TxDOT to administer the consolidated registration system.