By Wise                                               H.B. No. 2476
         76R4597 JD-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to special Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council license
 1-3     plates.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,
 1-6     is amended by adding Section 502.2723 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 502.2723.  CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND OF TEXAS COUNCIL
 1-8     LICENSE PLATES.  (a)  The department shall issue specially designed
 1-9     Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council license plates for passenger
1-10     cars and light trucks.
1-11           (b)  The license plates must be of a color, quality, and
1-12     design approved by the Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council.  The
1-13     design must feature artwork of children of this state.
1-14           (c)  The department shall issue license plates under this
1-15     section to a person who:
1-16                 (1)  applies to the county assessor-collector of the
1-17     county in which the person resides on a form provided by the
1-18     department; and
1-19                 (2)  pays an annual fee of $25, in addition to the fee
1-20     prescribed by Section 502.161, and, if personalized prestige
1-21     license plates are issued, in addition to the fee prescribed by
1-22     Section 502.251.
1-23           (d)  The fee for replacement of a lost, stolen, or mutilated
1-24     license plate issued under this section is $25, in addition to the
 2-1     fee prescribed by Section 502.184(a).
 2-2           (e)  Of each $25 fee collected under Subsection (c) or (d),
 2-3     the department shall deposit $20 to the credit of the children's
 2-4     trust fund under Section 74.006, Human Resources Code.  The
 2-5     remainder of the fee may be used by the department only to defray
 2-6     the cost of administering this section.
 2-7           (f)  If the owner of a vehicle registered under this section
 2-8     disposes of the vehicle during the registration year, the owner
 2-9     shall return the license plates to the department.
2-10           (g)  There is no limit to the number of passenger cars or
2-11     light trucks for which a person may apply for the issuance of
2-12     license plates under this section.
2-13           (h)  In addition to the license plates for passenger cars and
2-14     light trucks issued under Subsection (a), the department shall
2-15     design souvenir sample Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council
2-16     license plates designed in accordance with Subsection (b).  The
2-17     department and the Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council shall
2-18     adopt joint rules governing the sale of the souvenir sample license
2-19     plates.  The fee for a souvenir sample license plate is $10.  Of
2-20     each fee collected by the department or the Children's Trust Fund
2-21     of Texas Council under this subsection:
2-22                 (1)  $3 shall be credited to the department for the
2-23     administration of this subsection; and
2-24                 (2)  $7 shall be credited to the children's trust fund.
2-25           (i)  The Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council may use money
2-26     credited to the children's trust fund under this section only to
2-27     fund programs under Chapter 74, Human Resources Code, in the county
 3-1     from which the money was derived.  The council is not required to
 3-2     fund a program in a county under this subsection until at least
 3-3     $1,000 has been derived under Subsections (c) and (d) from persons
 3-4     applying for registration in that county and under Subsection (h)
 3-5     from persons residing in that county.
 3-6           (j)  Money deposited to the credit of the children's trust
 3-7     fund under this section and interest on that money is exempt from
 3-8     the application of Section 403.095, Government Code.
 3-9           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-10           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
3-11     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-12     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-13     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-14     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.