By Hawley                                             H.B. No. 1714
         76R5954 JD-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to motor vehicle certificates of title.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 501.021, Transportation Code, is amended
 1-5     by amending Subsection (a)  and adding Subsection (c) to read as
 1-6     follows:
 1-7           (a)  A motor vehicle certificate of title is an instrument
 1-8     issued by the department that includes:
 1-9                 (1)  the name and address of the purchaser and seller
1-10     at the first sale or the transferee and transferor at a subsequent
1-11     sale;
1-12                 (2)  the year model, make, and trade name of the motor
1-13     vehicle;
1-14                 (3)  the style, color, and body type of the vehicle;
1-15                 (4)  the manufacturer's permanent vehicle
1-16     identification number of the vehicle or the vehicle's motor number
1-17     if the vehicle was manufactured before the date that stamping a
1-18     permanent identification number on a motor vehicle was universally
1-19     adopted;
1-20                 (5)  the serial number for the vehicle;
1-21                 (6)  the number on the vehicle's current Texas license
1-22     plates;
1-23                 (7)  a statement:
1-24                       (A)  that no lien on the vehicle is recorded; or
 2-1                       (B)  of the name and address of each lienholder
 2-2     and the date of each lien on the vehicle, listed in the
 2-3     chronological order in which the lien was recorded;
 2-4                 (8)  a space for the signature of the owner of the
 2-5     vehicle;
 2-6                 (9)  a statement indicating rights of survivorship
 2-7     under Section 501.031;
 2-8                 (10)  if the vehicle has an odometer, the odometer
 2-9     reading indicated by the application for the certificate of title;
2-10     and
2-11                 (11)  any other information required by the department.
2-12           (c)  The department may not refuse to disclose information
2-13     contained in the department's motor vehicle certificate of title
2-14     records that is  requested by a peace officer, as defined by
2-15     Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, acting in an official
2-16     capacity.
2-17           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.  The
2-18     change in law made by this Act to the information required to be
2-19     included on a motor vehicle certificate of title issued by the
2-20     Texas Department of Transportation applies only to a certificate of
2-21     title issued by the department on or after January 1, 2000.
2-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.