BILL ANALYSIS
S.B. 832
By: Wentworth
State Affairs
3-10-95
Committee Report (Amended)
BACKGROUND
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) was created under
federal law and is the only authorized representative of the United
States in the Olympic Games and the Pan-American Games. This
federal law, its constitution, and its by-laws provide that the
USOC is a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to the
promotion of the Olympic Games, the promotion of U.S. amateur
athletes through the setting of national goals for athletic
activity, assistance with development of amateur athletic programs
and amateur athletes who are women or of racial minorities or are
disabled, and to encourage research in sports medicine and sports
safety, among similarly focused purposes.
Of the 184 nations participating in the Olympics, the United States
is the only one whose team receives no sustaining funds from its
federal government. USOC literature states that 82 cents of every
dollar given to the Olympics is spent directly on athletic
programs. The USOC has been ranked nationally in the top eight
charities in terms of financial efficiency and program support.
PURPOSE
As proposed, S.B. 832 provides for the issuance of special U.S.
Olympic Committee license plates.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or
agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Article 6675a-1, V.T.C.S., by adding Section 5q,
as follows:
Sec. 5q. (a) Requires the State Department of Highways and
Public Transportation (department) to provide for the issuance
of special United States Olympic Committee (committee) plates
for passenger cars and light commercial motor vehicles
(vehicles) having a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of
one ton or less.
(b) Sets forth requirements for the form and language of the
plates.
(c) Requires the department to issue plates to a person who
meets certain criteria.
(d) Authorizes a person applying for plates to have a number
assigned or apply for personalized prestige license plates.
(e) Sets forth the fees for the special plates.
(f) Creates in the state's general revenues a nonlapsing
fund to be known as the U.S. Olympics trust fund--Texas
(fund). Requires money deposited in the fund to be
dedicated to the purposes set forth in Subsection (k).
Requires money to be held in interest-bearing accounts in
public depositories and may be invested and reinvested in
state-approved securities. Provides that interest earned or
other money appropriated or deposited into the fund becomes
a part of the fund and available for use.
(g) Requires the department to deposit $45 of each fee in
the state treasury to the credit of the fund.
(h) Requires the department to deposit the remainder of each
fee collected after deposit as provided by Subsection (g) to
the state highway fund's credit to be used only to defray
the cost of administering this section.
(i) Authorizes the vehicle owner, if the plates are lost,
stolen, or mutilated, to obtain replacement plates by paying
a fee of $5. Requires the person to return the special
plates if the owner of a vehicle for which plates were
issued disposes of the vehicle during a registration year.
(j) Provides that there is no limit to the number of
vehicles for which the person may apply for issuance of
plates.
(k) Requires money deposited in the fund to be allocated to
the committee to be used by the committee, 50 percent for
the training and development of Texas Olympians and Olympic
hopeful athletes and 50 percent for the training and
development of other United States amateur athletes and
Olympians. Requires the money to be transferred from the
fund to the committee no more than once per calendar year.
SECTION 2. Emergency clause.
Effective date: 90 days after adjournment.