SRC-ARR S.B. 754 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 754 76R7122 JD-DBy: Lucio Natural Resources 3/23/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, Texas does not provide for a license plate recognizing the grapefruit as the official state fruit. S.B. 754 creates the Citrus License Plate, a specially designed license plate, with a ruby-red grapefruit, and a "State Fruit of Texas" caption at the bottom of the plate PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 754 issues a special license plate in honor the citrus industry in Texas. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Rulemaking authority is granted to the Texas Department of Transportation in SECTION 1 ( Section 502.299(c), Chapter 502F, Transportation Code) in this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 502F, Transportation Code, by adding Section 502.299, as follows: Sec. 502.299. TEXAS CITRUS INDUSTRY. Requires the Texas Department of Transportation (department) to issue specially designed licensed plates for passenger cars and light trucks in honor of the citrus industry in this state. Requires the department to issue license plates under this section to persons who apply for them and pay the annual fee. Requires the department, by rule, to establish the annual fee for registration under this section in an amount that, when added to the other fees collected by the department, does not exceed the amount sufficient to recover the actual cost to the department of issuing license plates under this section. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.