TWT H.B. 2968 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS TRANSPORTATION H.B. 2968 By: Yarbrough 4-27-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a non-profit organization, has a long history of promoting educational and scholarship programs for youth all across Texas. The primary source for these funds is derived from the sales of tickets to the Livestock Show and Rodeo performances. PURPOSE Creates a special license plate issued by the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Money generated from the fees charged for these plates will be deposited into the scholarship account for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with the state treasury to be administered with the assistance of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB). The fees will also defray the cost of the administration of this new plate. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, by adding Section 502.292. (a) Requires the TXDOT to issue specially designed Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo license plates. (b) Requires the plates include the words "Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo" with a color and designed approved by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. (c) Requires the TXDOT to issue plates to a person who: (1) applies to the county assessor-collector of the county in which the person resides on a form provided by the TXDOT; and (2) pays an annual fee of $30 in addition to the fee in Section 502.161, and if personalized prestige plates are issued, in addition to the fee in Section 502.251. (d) Requires the TXDOT deposit $20 of each fee collected to the credit of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship account in the state treasury. Provides the money be used only by the Texas HECB in making grants to benefit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. (e) Provides the remainder of the fee collected ($10), after deposit, be used only to defray the cost of administering this section. (f) Requires the owner of a vehicle to return the special license plates to the TXDOT upon disposal of the vehicle during the registration year. SECTION 2. Effective date -- September 1. 1997. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE SECTION 1. In Sec. 502.292 (c), the original set the annual fee at $25. The substitute increases the fee to $30. Thus, in 502.292 (e), the remainder of the fee used for TXDOT's administration of this section also increases from $5 to $10.