BILL ANALYSIS


                                                     C.S.S.B. 976
                                                    By: Wentworth
                                                    State Affairs
                                                           4-4-95
                                   Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is mandated to conserve and
manage all wildlife species, but receives little funding or income
directly related to nongame, threatened or endangered wildlife. 
Similarly, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has the responsibility
for promoting environmental education in Texas schools, but has
very little funding available to coordinate this effort.

Specialty license plates, offering citizens the opportunity to
voluntarily support conservation efforts and to visibly display
their support, are one method of raising the funds needed to help
defray the costs of the responsibilities of TEA and the Parks and
Wildlife Department.

PURPOSE

As proposed, C.S.S.B. 976 requires specially designed Texas nature
license plates to be issued, the proceeds of which benefit the
environmental education account in the general revenue fund.

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 et seq., V.T.C.S., by adding
Section 5q, as follows:

     Sec. 5q.  (a) Requires the Texas Department of Transportation
     (department) to provide for the issuance of special wildlife
     conservation license plates for passenger cars and light
     commercial motor vehicles (vehicles) having a manufacturer's
     rated carrying capacity of less than one ton.
     
     (b) Requires the format of the plates to be approved by the
       Parks and Wildlife Commission and the department.
       
       (c) Requires the department to issue the plates to a person
       who meets certain criteria.
       
       (d) Authorizes a person applying for the plates to have the
       plates assigned by the department or be personalized.
       
       (e) Provides that the fee for issuance of special license
       plates is $30 a year in addition to the motor vehicle
       registration fee under Section 5 and the fee for
       personalized plates under Section 5c.
       
       (f) Requires the department to deposit $15 of each fee to
       the credit of the special nongame and endangered species
       conservation account established by Section 11.052, Parks
       and Wildlife Code. Provides that amounts deposited are
       supplementary and are not income for purposes of reducing
       general appropriations to the Parks and Wildlife Department.
       
       (g) Requires the department to deposit $5 of each fee to the
       credit of the environmental education account established
       under Section 11.53(b), Education Code.  Provides that
       amounts deposited are supplementary and are not income for
       purposes of reducing general appropriations to the Central
       Education Agency.
       (h) Requires the department to deposit the remainder of each
       fee to the credit of the state highway fund to be used only
       to defray the cost of administering this section.
       
       (i) Authorizes the owner of the vehicle for which plates
       were issued to obtain replacement plates for a $5 fee if the
       plates are lost, stolen, or mutilated.  Requires the owner
       to return the plates if the owner disposes of the vehicle
       during a registration year.
       
       (j) Provides that there is no limit to the number of
       passenger cars and vehicles for which a person may apply for
       plates.
     SECTION 2.     Amends Section 11.53, Education Code, to set forth
authorized uses of money in the environmental education account. 
Exempts this account from the application of Sections 403.094 and
403.095, Government Code.  Makes conforming changes.

SECTION 3. Amends Section 11.053, Parks and Wildlife Code, to make
conforming changes.

SECTION 4. Provides that this Act prevails over any revision,
recodification, or reenactment of Titles 1 and 2 of the Education
Code by the 74th Legislature.

SECTION 5. Effective date: September 1, 1995.

SECTION 6. Emergency clause.