HBA-ALS, PDH H.B. 1045 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1045
By: Rangel
Transportation
4/11/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, there are adult literacy programs in place which may lack
funding and support. H.B. 1045 provides for the raising of funds for such
programs by issuing, for a fee, specially designed "Adult Literacy" license
plates. This bill requires the collected fees and donations to be deposited
into an adult literacy account and be used to make grants to fund adult
literacy programs.   
 
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, by
adding Section 502.2662, as follows: 

Sec. 502.2662.  ADULT LITERACY.  (a) Requires the Department of
Transportation (department) to issue specially designed "Adult Literacy"
license plates for passenger cars and light trucks.  

(b) Requires the department to issue a license plate to a person who
applies to the county assessor-collector where the person resides and pays
the appropriate fee.   

(c) Requires the department to set an annual fee for license plates
according to the fee schedule.  Provides a fee schedule authorizing the
department to charge an administration fee not to exceed $5 and an
additional fee not to exceed $25 for each set of plates or an additional
fee not to exceed $15 for each set of plates for a fleet of 50 or more
vehicles. 

(d) Authorizes the administration fee collected to be used to defray the
cost of administering this section.   

(e) Requires the department to deposit the additional fees collected for
each set of license plates to the credit of an account in the general
revenue fund to be known as the adult literacy account.  Provides that
money from the account may be used only to make grants under Section
29.2531, Education Code.  Provides that the account is composed of money
required to be deposited to the credit of the account under this subsection
and donations made to the account. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Subchapter H, Chapter 29, Education Code, by adding
Section 29.2531, as follows: 

Sec. 29.2531.  ADULT LITERACY GRANTS.  Requires the Texas Education Agency
(TEA) to make grants from the money in the adult literacy account to fund
adult literacy programs provided by public nonprofit agencies and community
based organizations. Requires the TEA to determine standards that an adult
literacy program must meet to be eligible for a grant, provide procedures
for applying for a grant, and determine the recipient and amount of each
grant. 
 
SECTION 3.Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 4.Emergency clause.