1-1 By: Jones of Dallas (Senate Sponsor - Bernsen) H.B. No. 1227 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1999; 1-3 May 6, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on State 1-4 Affairs; May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to special license plates to support reading programs of 1-9 public libraries. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, 1-12 is amended by adding Section 502.2663 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 502.2663. NEW MILLENNIUM LICENSE PLATES. (a) The 1-14 department shall issue specially designed new millennium license 1-15 plates for passenger cars and light trucks. 1-16 (b) The license plates must bear the words "New Millennium" 1-17 and be of a color, quality, and design approved by the department 1-18 from entries submitted by middle school students in a competition 1-19 conducted by the department. 1-20 (c) The department shall issue license plates under this 1-21 section to a person who: 1-22 (1) applies to the assessor-collector of the county in 1-23 which the person resides on the form for original registration or 1-24 annual renewal of registration provided by the department; and 1-25 (2) pays an annual fee in the amount set under 1-26 Subsection (d), in addition to the fee prescribed by Section 1-27 502.161 and, if personalized prestige license plates are issued, in 1-28 addition to the fee prescribed by Section 502.251. 1-29 (d) The department shall set the annual fee for license 1-30 plates under this section at: 1-31 (1) an amount, not to exceed $5, necessary to 1-32 administer this section; and 1-33 (2) an additional amount of: 1-34 (A) $25 for each set of plates, except as 1-35 provided by Paragraph (B); or 1-36 (B) $15 for each set of plates, if the person is 1-37 purchasing plates under this section for a fleet of 50 or more 1-38 vehicles. 1-39 (e) The fee collected under Subsection (d)(1) may be used 1-40 only to defray the cost of administering this section. 1-41 (f) The department shall deposit each fee collected under 1-42 Subsection (d)(2) to the credit of an account in the general 1-43 revenue fund to be known as the new millennium reading program 1-44 account. Money from the account may be used only to make grants 1-45 under Section 441.0092, Government Code. The account is composed 1-46 of: 1-47 (1) money required to be deposited to the credit of 1-48 the account under this subsection; and 1-49 (2) donations made to the account. 1-50 SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 441, Government Code, is 1-51 amended by adding Section 441.0092 to read as follows: 1-52 Sec. 441.0092. NEW MILLENNIUM READING PROGRAM GRANTS. (a) 1-53 From money in the new millennium reading program account the 1-54 commission shall make grants to fund programs to promote reading 1-55 provided by public libraries. 1-56 (b) The commission shall: 1-57 (1) determine standards that a reading promotion 1-58 program must meet to be eligible for a grant under this section; 1-59 (2) provide procedures for application for a grant; 1-60 and 1-61 (3) determine the recipient and amount of each grant. 1-62 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-63 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-64 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. 2-4 * * * * *