1-1     By:  Jones of Lubbock (Senate Sponsor - Duncan)        H.B. No. 920

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House March 26, 1997;

 1-3     April 2, 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 13, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the width of certain vehicles transporting seed cotton

 1-9     modules.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 502.277(a), Transportation Code, is

1-12     amended to read as follows:

1-13           (a)  The department shall issue specially designed license

1-14     plates for single motor vehicles that:

1-15                 (1)  are used only to transport seed cotton modules,

1-16     cotton, cotton burrs, or equipment used in transporting or

1-17     processing cotton; and

1-18                 (2)  are not more than 10 [9] feet in width.

1-19           SECTION 2.  Section 622.101, Transportation Code, is amended

1-20     to read as follows:

1-21           Sec. 622.101.  VEHICLE TRANSPORTING COTTON OR PROCESSING

1-22     EQUIPMENT.  A single motor vehicle used exclusively to transport

1-23     seed cotton modules, cotton, cotton burrs, or equipment used to

1-24     transport or process cotton, including a burr spreader, may not be

1-25     operated on a highway or road if the vehicle is:

1-26                 (1)  wider than 10 [nine] feet and the highway has not

1-27     been designated by the commission under Section 621.202 if the

1-28     vehicle is registered under Section 502.277;

1-29                 (2)  longer than 48 feet;  or

1-30                 (3)  higher than 14 feet 6 inches.

1-31           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-32     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-33     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-34     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-35     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-36     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-37     passage, and it is so enacted.

1-38                                  * * * * *