By Hawley H.B. No. 2681 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the issuance of specially designed Texas license plates 1-3 for Keep Texas Beautiful. 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 502.2731 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 502.2731. KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL LICENSE 1-8 PLATES. (a) The department shall issue specially designed license 1-9 plates for passenger cars and light commercial motor vehicles 1-10 having a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of one ton or less 1-11 that include the words "Keep Texas Beautiful" and are of a color, 1-12 quality, and design approved by Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc. 1-13 (b) 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 of $50, in addition to the fee 1-19 prescribed by Section 502.161 and, if personalized prestige license 1-20 plates are issued, in addition to the fee prescribed by Section 1-21 502.251. 1-22 (c) There is created in the general revenue fund a special 1-23 nonlapsing fund to be known as the Keep Texas Beautiful trust fund. 1-24 Money deposited in the fund shall be dedicated to the purposes set 2-1 forth in Subsection (h). Money in the fund shall be held in 2-2 interest-bearing accounts in public depositories authorized by law 2-3 and may be invested and reinvested in such securities as are 2-4 approved by the state. Interest earned and other money from 2-5 appropriated state funds and any other source deposited into the 2-6 Keep Texas Beautiful trust fund becomes a part of the fund and 2-7 available for use as prescribed for the fund. 2-8 (d) The department shall deposit $45 of each fee collected 2-9 under this section in the state treasury to the credit of the Keep 2-10 Texas Beautiful trust fund. 2-11 (e) The department shall deposit the remainder of each fee 2-12 collected under this section after deposit as provided by 2-13 Subsection (d) in the state treasury to the credit of the state 2-14 highway fund to be used only to defray the cost of administering 2-15 this section. 2-16 (f) If license plates issued under this section are lost, 2-17 stolen, or mutilated, the owner of the vehicle for which the 2-18 license plates were issued may obtain replacement license plates 2-19 from the department by paying a replacement fee of $5. If the 2-20 owner of a vehicle for which license plates were issued under this 2-21 section disposes of the vehicle during a registration year, the 2-22 person shall return the special license plates to the department. 2-23 (g) There is no limit to the number of passenger cars and 2-24 light commercial motor vehicles for which the person may apply for 2-25 the issuance of license plates under this section. 2-26 (h) Money deposited in the Keep Texas Beautiful trust fund 2-27 shall be allocated in its entirety to Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc. 3-1 The money in the Keep Texas Beautiful trust fund shall be 3-2 transferred from the Keep Texas Beautiful trust fund to Keep Texas 3-3 Beautiful, Inc. not more than one time per calendar year as 3-4 determined by the department. 3-5 SECTION 2. Section 502.252, Transportation Code, is amended 3-6 to read as follows: 3-7 Sec. 502.252. Certain Specialized Plates Available 3-8 Personalized. A person applying for license plates under Section 3-9 502.258, 502.259, 502.260, 502.261, 502.262, 502.263, 502.264, 3-10 502.265, 502.269, 502.270, 502.271, 502.272, 502.273, 502.2731, or 3-11 502.274 may: 3-12 (1) have a license plate number assigned by the 3-13 department; or 3-14 (2) apply for personalized prestige license plates 3-15 under Section 502.251. 3-16 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-21 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-22 passage, and it is so enacted. 3-23 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1 3-24 Amend HB 2681 as follows: 3-25 On page 1, line 18, between "502.161" and "and", insert "or 3-26 Section 502.162" 3-27 Alexander