1-1     By:  Turner of Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Lucio)        H.B. No. 685

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 8, 1997;

 1-3     May 9, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 12, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to issuance of special license plates for a vehicle used

 1-9     to transport a person with a disability.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 502.253, Transportation Code, is amended

1-12     by adding Subsection (h) to read as follows:

1-13           (h)  A person entitled to register a vehicle under this

1-14     section is entitled to a set of special license plates under this

1-15     section for each motorcycle, passenger car, or light truck owned by

1-16     the person that is equipped with special equipment that:

1-17                 (1)  is designed to allow a person who has lost the use

1-18     of one or both of the person's legs to operate the vehicle; and

1-19                 (2)  is not standard equipment on that type of vehicle

1-20     for use by a person who has use of both of the person's legs.

1-21           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-22     to a registration period beginning on or after the effective date

1-23     of this Act.  A registration period beginning before the effective

1-24     date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the

1-25     registration period began, and the former law is continued in

1-26     effect for that purpose.

1-27           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-28           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-29     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-30     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-31     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-32     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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