HBA- MPA H.B. 3820 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3820 By: Puente Transportation 4/26/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, county judges are provided with specialty license plates, but not other elected county officials. Many state and county officials receive special license plates. H.B. 3820 proposes a special "county official" license plate to be designed for county officials. 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 502.2952, as follows: Sec. 502.2952. COUNTY OFFICIALS. (a) Requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to design and provide for the issuance of special license plates for passenger cars and light trucks owned by persons who are county officials of this state. (b) Requires that license plates issued under this section bear the words "County Official." (c) Requires TxDOT to issue license plates under this section to a person who applies to the county tax collector on a form prescribed by TxDOT, pays the fee, and submits with the application proof that the person is a county official of this state. (d) Provides that the fee for registration under this section and issuance of the special license plates is the fee otherwise prescribed by this chapter (Registration of Vehicles) for the vehicle. (e) Provides that registration under this section is valid for one year and expires in the manner as do regular motor vehicle registrations, except as provided by Subsection (f). (f) Provides that registration under this section expires when the owner of the vehicle for which the special plates were issued ceases to be a county official. Requires the county official to return the special license plates to TxDOT. (g) Requires the person to return the special plates to TxDOT, if the person disposes of the vehicle during the registration year. Authorizes the person to apply for issuance of those plates to another vehicle. (h) Authorizes the owner of a vehicle for which special plates were issued to obtain replacement plates by paying a fee of $5 if those license plates are lost, stolen, or mutilated. (i) Defines "county official." SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.