1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the offense of operation of a vehicle with an expired
 1-3     license plate.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 502.407(a), Transportation Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  A person commits an offense if, after the fifth working
 1-8     day after the date the registration for the vehicle expires:
 1-9                 (1)  the person operates on a public highway during a
1-10     registration period a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer that
1-11     has attached to it a license plate for the preceding period; and
1-12                 (2)  the license plate has not been validated by the
1-13     attachment of a registration insignia for the registration period
1-14     in effect.
1-15           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-16     The change in law made by this Act applies only to an offense
1-17     committed on or after the effective date of this Act.  For purposes
1-18     of this section, an offense is committed before the effective date
1-19     of this Act if any element of the offense occurs before that date.
1-20           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-21     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-22     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-23           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
         _______________________________     _______________________________
             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House
               I certify that H.B. No. 924 was passed by the House on April
         8, 1999, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House
               I certify that H.B. No. 924 was passed by the Senate on May
         10, 1999, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 0.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Secretary of the Senate
         APPROVED:  _____________________
                            Date
                    _____________________
                          Governor