By Finnell                                      H.B. No. 1894

      75R7670 DWS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the rental of a motor vehicle to a state employee;

 1-3     providing a penalty.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 1, Title 20, Revised Statutes, is amended

 1-6     by adding Article 601j to read as follows:

 1-7           Art. 601j.  RENTAL OF MOTOR VEHICLE TO STATE EMPLOYEE

 1-8           Sec. 1.  DEFINITIONS.  In this article:

 1-9                 (1)  "Car rental company" means a person in the

1-10     business of renting motor vehicles for periods of 90 days or less.

1-11                 (2)  "State agency" includes an institution of higher

1-12     education, as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code.

1-13                 (3)  "State employee" means an officer or employee of a

1-14     state agency.

1-15           Sec. 2.  STATE REGISTRATION OF RENTAL VEHICLE.  (a)  Except

1-16     as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, a car rental company

1-17     may not rent a motor vehicle to a state employee in this state for

1-18     compensation to be paid by a state agency unless the vehicle is

1-19     titled and registered in this state.

1-20           (b)  A car rental company may rent to the state employee a

1-21     motor vehicle not titled and registered in this state if:

1-22                 (1)  a motor vehicle titled and registered in this

1-23     state is not reasonably available; and

1-24                 (2)  the car rental company provides the state employee

 2-1     at the time of the rental an affidavit stating the reason the car

 2-2     rental company was unable to rent a motor vehicle titled and

 2-3     registered in this state and sends the state agency that employs

 2-4     the state employee, by registered mail not later than the 10th day

 2-5     after the date of the rental contract, a separately executed copy

 2-6     of the affidavit.

 2-7           Sec. 3.  PENALTY.  A car rental company that violates Section

 2-8     2 of this article commits an offense.  An offense under this

 2-9     section is a Class C misdemeanor.

2-10           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-11           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-12     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-13     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-14     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-15     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.