1-1     By:  Reyna of Dallas (Senate Sponsor - Nelson)        H.B. No. 1306

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1997;

 1-3     April 22, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 6, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 12, Nays 1; May 6, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the payment of certain motor vehicle registration fees

 1-9     for a period longer than 12 months.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 502.158, Transportation Code, is amended

1-12     by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (g) to read as

1-13     follows:

1-14           (c)  The department may designate a registration period of

1-15     less than 12 months.  The registration fee for a registration

1-16     period of less than 12 months is computed at a rate of one-twelfth

1-17     the annual registration fee multiplied by the number of months in

1-18     the registration period.  The department may not designate a

1-19     registration period of more than 12 months, but:

1-20                 (1)  with the consent of the department, an owner may

1-21     pay registration fees for a designated period of more than 12

1-22     months; and

1-23                 (2)  an owner of a passenger car or light truck that

1-24     has not been previously registered in this or another state and is

1-25     of the current or preceding model year may pay registration fees

1-26     for a designated period of 12, 24, or 36 months.

1-27           (g)  The department shall issue the applicant for

1-28     registration who pays registration fees for a designated period of

1-29     24 or 36 months a registration receipt and registration insignia

1-30     that are valid until the expiration of the designated period.

1-31           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.  The

1-32     change in law made by this Act applies only to a person who applies

1-33     to the Texas Department of Transportation for registration of a

1-34     motor vehicle to which this Act applies on or after the effective

1-35     date of this Act.  A person who applied for registration of a motor

1-36     vehicle to which this Act applies before the effective date of this

1-37     Act is covered by the law in effect when the application was made,

1-38     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-39           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-40     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-41     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-42     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-43     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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