HBA-JLV S.B. 1516 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1516 By: Lucio Transportation 5/18/2001 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, state officials are required to replace vehicle license plates annually during their term of office. Senate Bill 1516 requires the Texas Department of Transportation to issue elected officials multi-year license plates for their vehicles with the plate expiration coinciding with the end of their term of office, and sets forth provisions relating to vehicle registration renewals for vehicles with certain specialized license plates. 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 Senate Bill 1516 amends the Transportation Code to require renewals of registrations for vehicles with specialized license plates and certain privately owned vehicles to be administered by the county assessorcollector of the county in which the vehicle is registered or in which the owner of the vehicle resides. The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to generate consolidated renewal notices and update the automated registration and title system to process renewal transactions and account for renewal fees (Sec. 502.2521). For a vehicle registered with specialty license plates issued to veterans with disabilities, air force cross, distinguished service cross, army distinguished services cross, navy cross, or medal of honor recipients, former prisoners of war, Pearl Harbor survivors, or purple heart recipients, the bill provides that an application for renewal of the vehicle's registration is not required to be accompanied by evidence that the applicant continues to be eligible to register (Secs. 502.254, 502.2555, 502.257, 502.259, and 502.260). For specialty license plates issued to veterans with disabilities, the bill provides that there is no fee for issuance or renewal of the first set of licence plates and that a person who registers one or more vehicles is entitled to only one exemption from the applicable annual vehicle registration fee (Sec. 502.254). For specialty license plates issued to air force cross, distinguished service cross, army distinguished services cross, navy cross, or medal of honor recipients, or to former prisoners of war, the bill provides that there is no fee for registration renewal for the vehicle for which the plates are issued (Secs. 502.2555 and 502.257). For specialty license plates issued to Pearl Harbor survivors, or purple heart recipients the bill provides that there is no fee for issuance or renewal of the first set of licence plates and the applicable annual vehicle registration fee applies to each additional set of license plates issued (Secs. 502.259 and 502.260). The bill requires TxDOT, on payment of the prescribed fee, to issue to a state official, a county judge, a member of congress, a federal judge, or a state judge (public official), a set of license plates or a device that, when attached to the vehicle, is the registration insignia for the period for which it was issued. The bill removes provisions regarding the registration period of such license plates. The bill requires TxDOT, on application and payment of the prescribed fee for a renewal of the registration of a vehicle for a public official, to issue a registration insignia for the validation of the license plates. The bill provides that registration expires when the owner of the vehicle for which the special plates were issued ceases to be a public official and requires the public official to return the special license plates to TxDOT (Secs. 502.295, 502.2951, 502.296, and 502.297). The bill repeals provisions requiring TxDOT to send 50 cents of each license plate fee to the county treasury of the county in which the recipient resides that is collected for the issuance of specially designed licence plates issued to Pearl Harbor survivors, purple heart recipients, or air force cross, distinguished service cross, army distinguished services cross, navy cross, or medal of honor recipients (SECTION 11). EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS Committee Amendment No. 1 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to issue specially designed license plates for motorcycles owned by retired or honorably discharged members of the United States armed forces. The plates must include the words "U.S. Veteran." The amendment sets forth procedures for the issuance of the special plates and the annual fee for the issuance of the license plates. The amendment requires TxDOT to send 50 cents of each fee collected from the issuance of the special plates to the county treasurer of the county in which the applicant resides. The county treasurer is required to credit the money received to the general fund of the county to pay the costs of administering the issuance of the special plates. If an owner of a motorcycle disposes of the motorcycle during a registration year, the owner is required to return the special plates to TxDOT. The owner is authorized to apply for issuance of the plates to another motorcycle. The amendment entitles the surviving spouse of a person who would be eligible for a motorcycle license plate for retired or honorably discharged members of the United States armed forces to register one motorcycle with that type of license plate as long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried. The amendment also amends the Transportation and Education codes to create a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) account as a separate account in the general revenue fund. The amendment establishes a fee of $30 for a YMCA license plate, in addition to any applicable motor vehicle registration fee. The amendment requires TxDOT to use $8 of the fee to administer the issuance of the YMCA plates and to deposit the remainder of the fee to the credit of the YMCA account. The amendment provides that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers the YMCA account, and authorizes TEA to spend money credited to the YMCA account to make grants to benefit the youth and government programs sponsored by the YMCAs located in Texas. The amendment amends the Education Code to require TxDOT to issue specially designed license plates for passenger cars and light trucks owned by members or alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. The plates must include the words "Delta Sigma Theta." The amendment sets forth a $25 annual fee for a Delta Sigma Theta plate in addition to the standard motor vehicle registration fee. The amendment requires TxDOT to use $8 of the fee to defray the cost of issuing the plates and to deposit the remainder of the fee to the credit of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority account. The amendment also amends the Education Code to establish the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority account (account) as a separate account in the general revenue fund. The amendment provides that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers the account and that the account consists of money collected from the issuance of Delta Sigma Theta license plates. TEA is authorized to spend money credited to the account to make grants to benefit programs sponsored by the El Paso Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.