By Puente H.B. No. 3820 Line and page numbers may not match official copy. Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E. A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the issuance of special license plates for elected 1-3 county officials. 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 502.2952 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 502.2952. COUNTY OFFICIALS. (a) The department shall 1-8 design and provide for the issuance of special license plates for 1-9 passenger cars and light trucks that are owned by persons who are 1-10 county officials of this state. 1-11 (b) License plates issued to county officials under this 1-12 section shall bear the words "County Official." 1-13 (c) The department shall issue license plates under this 1-14 section to a person who: 1-15 (1) applies to the county tax collector in the county 1-16 of the person's residence on a form prescribed by the department; 1-17 (2) pays the fee prescribed by Subsection (d); and 1-18 (3) submits with the application proof that the person 1-19 is a county official of this state. 1-20 (d) The fee for registration under this section and issuance 1-21 of the special license plates is the fee otherwise prescribed by 2-1 this chapter for the vehicle. 2-2 (e) Registration under this section is valid for one year 2-3 and expires in the same manner as do regular motor vehicle 2-4 registrations, except as provided by Subsection (f). 2-5 (f) Registration under this section expires when the owner 2-6 of the vehicle for which the special plates were issued ceases to 2-7 be a county official. The county official shall return the special 2-8 license plates to the department. 2-9 (g) If the owner of a vehicle for which plates are issued 2-10 under this section disposes of the vehicle during a registration 2-11 year, the person shall return the special plates to the department, 2-12 and at that time may apply for issuance of those plates to another 2-13 vehicle. 2-14 (h) If license plates issued under this section are lost, 2-15 stolen, or mutilated, the owner of the vehicle for which the plates 2-16 were issued may obtain replacement plates from the department by 2-17 paying a replacement fee of $5. 2-18 (i) In this section, "county official" means a person who is 2-19 elected to a county office, including a person elected by precinct. 2-20 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 2-21 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-25 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.