By Bosse                                         H.B. No. 715

      75R306 JD-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to disabled veterans' parking privileges.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 681.007, Transportation Code, is amended

 1-5     to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 681.007.  Parking Privileges:  Vehicles Displaying

 1-7     International Symbol of Access OR DISABLED VETERAN LICENSE PLATES.

 1-8     A vehicle may be parked and is exempt from the payment of a fee or

 1-9     penalty in the same manner as a vehicle that has displayed on the

1-10     vehicle special license plates issued under Section 502.253 or a

1-11     disabled parking placard as provided by Section 681.006 if there is

1-12     displayed on the vehicle:

1-13                 (1)  a license plate or placard that:

1-14                       (A) [(1)]  bears the international symbol of

1-15     access; and

1-16                       (B) [(2)]  is issued by a state or by a state or

1-17     province of a foreign country to the owner or operator of the

1-18     vehicle for the transportation of a person with a disability; or

1-19                 (2)  a license plate that is issued:

1-20                       (A)  under Section 502.254; or

1-21                       (B)  by another state to the owner or operator of

1-22     the vehicle for the transportation of a person who is a veteran

1-23     with a disability within the meaning of Section 502.254.

1-24           SECTION 2.  Section 681.008, Transportation Code, is amended

 2-1     to read as follows:

 2-2           Sec. 681.008.  Parking Privileges:  [Veterans With

 2-3     Disabilities;] Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients.  A vehicle

 2-4     on which license plates issued under Section [502.254 or] 502.255

 2-5     are displayed is exempt from the payment of a parking fee,

 2-6     including a fee collected through a parking meter, charged by a

 2-7     governmental authority other than a branch of the federal

 2-8     government, when being operated by or for the transportation of[:]

 2-9                 [(1)]  the person who registered the vehicle under that

2-10     section [Section 502.254(a) or 502.255; or]

2-11                 [(2)  a person described in Section 502.254(b) if the

2-12     vehicle is registered under that subsection].

2-13           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-18     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-19     passage, and it is so enacted.