By:  Shapiro, Moncrief                                 S.B. No. 460

              Shapleigh

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the issuance of specially designed volunteer advocate

 1-2     program license plates by the Texas Department of Transportation.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,

 1-5     is amended by adding Section 502.292 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 502.292.  VOLUNTEER ADVOCATE PROGRAM LICENSE PLATES.

 1-7     (a)  In recognition of children, the department shall issue

 1-8     specially designed volunteer advocate program license plates for

 1-9     passenger cars and light trucks.

1-10           (b)  The license plates must be of a color, quality, and

1-11     design approved by the attorney general in consultation with 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 of $30, in addition to the fee

1-19     prescribed by Section 502.161, and, if personalized prestige

1-20     license plates are issued, in addition to the fee prescribed by

1-21     Section 502.251.

1-22           (d)  Of each fee collected under this section, the department

1-23     shall deposit $25 under this section to the credit of the attorney

 2-1     general volunteer advocate program account in the general revenue

 2-2     fund and $5 to the credit of the state highway fund.

 2-3           (e)  Money deposited to the credit of the volunteer advocate

 2-4     program account under Subsection (d) may be used only by the

 2-5     attorney general to fund a contract entered into by the attorney

 2-6     general under Section 264.602, Family Code.

 2-7           (f)  If the owner of a vehicle registered under this section

 2-8     disposes of the vehicle during the registration year, the owner

 2-9     shall return the special license plates to the department.

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.