By Lewis of Tarrant                             H.B. No. 2660

      75R4928 DWS-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to specialized license plates to support state

 1-3     institutions of higher education.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,

 1-6     is amended by adding Section 502.292 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 502.292.  ALPHA PHI ALPHA.  (a)  The department shall

 1-8     issue specially designed "Alpha Phi Alpha" license plates for

 1-9     passenger cars and light trucks.

1-10           (b)  The license plates must include the words "Alpha Phi

1-11     Alpha" and be of a color, quality, and design approved by the

1-12     department.

1-13           (c)  The department shall issue license plates under this

1-14     section to a person who:

1-15                 (1)  applies to the county assessor-collector of the

1-16     county in which the person resides on a form provided by the

1-17     department; and

1-18                 (2)  pays an annual fee in the amount provided by

1-19     Subsection (d), in addition to the fee prescribed by Section

1-20     502.161, and, if personalized prestige license plates are issued,

1-21     in addition to the fee prescribed by Section 502.251.

1-22           (d)  The annual fee for license plates under this section is

1-23     $30.

1-24           (e)  The comptroller shall establish a license plate account

 2-1     in the general revenue fund for each institution of higher

 2-2     education.  Money in each account may be used only for the benefit

 2-3     of the institution of higher education for which the account is

 2-4     established.

 2-5           (f)  The department shall deposit $25 of each fee collected

 2-6     under this section to the credit of the license plate account of

 2-7     the institution of higher education designated by the person to

 2-8     whom the license plates are issued.

 2-9           (g)  The remainder of each fee collected under this section,

2-10     after deposit as provided by Subsection (f), may be used only to

2-11     defray the cost of administering this section.

2-12           (h)  In this section, "institution of higher education" has

2-13     the meaning assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.

2-14           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.