By Lewis of Orange                                     H.B. No. 858
         76R1757 WP-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to exempting political subdivisions of this state from the
 1-3     payment of a fee for registration of vehicles.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 502.202(a), Transportation Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  The owner of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer
 1-8     may annually apply for registration under Section 502.201 and is
 1-9     exempt from the payment of a registration fee under this chapter if
1-10     the vehicle is:
1-11                 (1)  owned by and used exclusively in the service of:
1-12                       (A)  the United States;
1-13                       (B)  this state; or
1-14                       (C)  a political subdivision of this state,
1-15     including a county, municipality, [or] school district, or special
1-16     purpose district or authority [in this state];
1-17                 (2)  owned by a commercial transportation company and
1-18     used exclusively to provide public school transportation services
1-19     to a school district under Section 34.008 [21.181], Education Code;
1-20                 (3)  designed and used exclusively for fire fighting;
1-21                 (4)  owned by a volunteer fire department and used
1-22     exclusively in the conduct of department business; or
1-23                 (5)  privately owned and used by a volunteer
1-24     exclusively in county marine law enforcement activities, including
 2-1     rescue operations, under the direction of the sheriff's department.
 2-2           SECTION 2.  This Act only affects registration occurring
 2-3     under Section 502.202, Transportation Code, that takes place on or
 2-4     after the effective date of this Act.  Registration taking place
 2-5     before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in
 2-6     effect when the registration occurred and that law is continued in
 2-7     effect for that purpose.
 2-8           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-13     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-14     passage, and it is so enacted.