TWT S.B. 1506 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS TRANSPORTATION S.B. 1506 By: Gallegos (Yarbrough) 5-9-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Currently, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo presents many types of scholarships annually, ranging from one-year awards to four-year scholarships. Each year approximately 1,100 young people attend college on show-sponsored financial assistance. This bill would require the Texas Department of Transportation to issue specially designed Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo license plates to persons who apply and pay a fee. The proceeds would be credited to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship account in the state treasury and be used only by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in making grants to benefit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 1506 requires the Texas Department of Transportation to issue specially designed Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo license plates to persons who apply and pay a fee of $30. In addition, this bill would require $20 of each fee to be deposited in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship account in the state treasury to be used for grants that benefit the show. 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 Chapter 502F, Transportation Code, by adding Section 502.292, as follows: Sec. 502.292. HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO LICENSE PLATES. Requires the Department of Transportation (department) to issue specially designed Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo license plates for passenger cars and light trucks. Requires the license plates to include certain words and be of a color, quality, and design approved by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Requires the department to issue license plates under this section to persons who apply and pay as provided by this section. Requires the department to deposit $20 of each fee collected under this section to the credit of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship account in the state treasury. Authorizes the use of money in the account only by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in making grants to benefit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Requires the remainder of each fee collected ($10) under this section, after deposit as provided by Subsection (d), to be deposited to the credit of the state highway fund and authorizes the remainder of each fee to be used only to defray the cost of administering this section. Requires the owner of a vehicle registered under this section, if the owner disposes of the vehicle during the registration year, to return the special license plates to the department. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.