By Hudson                                             H.B. No. 1868
       74R7008 PB-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the registration of and certain charges made by motor
    1-3  vehicle repair facilities.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 1(2), Chapter 956, Acts of the 73rd
    1-6  Legislature, Regular Session, 1993 (Article 9028, Vernon's Texas
    1-7  Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
    1-8              (2)  "Commission" means the Texas Natural Resource
    1-9  Conservation <Water> Commission.
   1-10        SECTION 2.  Chapter 956, Acts of the 73rd Legislature,
   1-11  Regular Session, 1993 (Article 9028, Vernon's Texas Civil
   1-12  Statutes), is amended by adding Section 10A to read as follows:
   1-13        Sec. 10A.  PROHIBITED CHARGES; NOTICE.  (a)  A fee charged by
   1-14  a registrant for a motor vehicle repair must be computed based on
   1-15  the actual time spent by the registrant in performing the repair.
   1-16        (b)  A registrant may not assess a repair charge based on an
   1-17  average time required for that type of repair as proposed by a
   1-18  manual or other information disseminated by an authority in the
   1-19  motor vehicle repair industry.
   1-20        (c)  Each registrant shall display in the repair facility a
   1-21  sign prescribed by the commission regarding the requirements
   1-22  imposed under this section.  The sign must be placed in a location
   1-23  readily visible to a customer paying for repairs.
   1-24        (d)  The commission shall:
    2-1              (1)  notify each registrant in writing of the
    2-2  requirements imposed under this section on receipt by the
    2-3  commission of an application for registration or renewal of a
    2-4  certificate of registration; and
    2-5              (2)  by rule prescribe the contents of the sign
    2-6  required under Subsection (c) of this section.
    2-7        SECTION 3.  Section 13, Chapter 956, Acts of the 73rd
    2-8  Legislature, Regular Session, 1993 (Article 9028, Vernon's Texas
    2-9  Civil Statutes), is repealed.
   2-10        SECTION 4.  (a)  The Texas Natural Resource Conservation
   2-11  Commission shall adopt rules as required by Section 10A, Chapter
   2-12  956, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993 (Article
   2-13  9028, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as added by this Act, not
   2-14  later than November 30, 1995, and shall notify each person
   2-15  registered with the commission under that chapter on the effective
   2-16  date of this Act of the requirements of that section not later than
   2-17  December 31, 1995.
   2-18        (b)  A person who was exempt from the requirements of Chapter
   2-19  956, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993 (Article
   2-20  9028, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), under Section 13 of that Act,
   2-21  as that section existed before repeal by this Act, is not required
   2-22  to register with the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
   2-23  until January 1, 1995.
   2-24        SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-25        SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-26  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-27  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-1  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-2  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.