By Black                                              H.B. No. 1895
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to escrow accounts for the prepayment of fees required for
    1-3  permits authorizing the transportation of a vehicle and its load or
    1-4  a combination of vehicles and load exceeding legal size and weight
    1-5  limitations.
    1-6        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-7        SECTION 1.  (a)  DEFINITIONS.  (1)  "Permit" means any permit
    1-8  issued by the Texas Department of Transportation, in accordance
    1-9  with law, authorizing the transportation of a vehicle and its load
   1-10  or a combination of vehicles and load that exceed legal size and
   1-11  weight limitations.
   1-12              (2)  "Department" means the Texas Department of
   1-13  Transportation.
   1-14        (b)  ESCROW ACCOUNTS.  The department may establish escrow
   1-15  accounts within the state highway fund for the prepayment of permit
   1-16  fees which shall be administered in accordance with an agreement
   1-17  containing such terms and conditions as may be agreeable to the
   1-18  department, including, but not limited to, such fees as may be
   1-19  established by the department for the administration of this Act.
   1-20  The department shall deposit fees imposed under this section in the
   1-21  state treasury to the credit of the state highway fund.  The fees
   1-22  may be appropriated only to the department for purposes of
   1-23  administering this Act.
    2-1        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-2  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-3  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-4  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-5  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.