1-1 By: Bernsen S.B. No. 639 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 22, 1999; February 24, 1999, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; 1-4 March 29, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8, 1-5 Nays 0; March 29, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the issuance of special license plates to benefit the 1-9 Texas Economic Development Corporation. 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 502.2733 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 502.2733. TEXAS. IT'S LIKE A WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY 1-14 LICENSE PLATES. (a) The department shall issue specially designed 1-15 "Texas. It's Like A Whole Other Country" license plates for 1-16 passenger cars and light trucks. 1-17 (b) The license plates must include the trademarked Texas 1-18 patch and the words "Texas. It's Like A Whole Other Country" and 1-19 be of a color, quality, and design approved by the Texas Department 1-20 of Economic Development. 1-21 (c) The department shall issue license plates under this 1-22 section to a person who: 1-23 (1) applies to the county assessor-collector of the 1-24 county in which the person resides on a form provided by the 1-25 department; and 1-26 (2) pays an annual fee of $30, in addition to the fee 1-27 prescribed by Section 502.161 and, if personalized prestige license 1-28 plates are issued, in addition to the fee prescribed by Section 1-29 502.251. 1-30 (d) Of each fee collected under this section: 1-31 (1) the comptroller shall transmit $25 to the Texas 1-32 Economic Development Corporation established under Section 481.024, 1-33 Government Code, to be used for performance of the corporation's 1-34 functions; and 1-35 (2) $5 shall be deposited to the credit of the state 1-36 highway fund to defray the cost of administering this section. 1-37 (e) If the owner of a vehicle registered under this section 1-38 disposes of the vehicle during the registration year, the owner 1-39 shall return the special license plates to the department. 1-40 SECTION 2. Before January 1, 2004, the comptroller of public 1-41 accounts shall determine the total amount collected under 1-42 Subdivision (1), Subsection (d), Section 502.2733, Transportation 1-43 Code, as added by this Act, before September 1, 2003, and shall 1-44 submit the determination to the secretary of state for publication 1-45 in the Texas Register. If the amount of the comptroller's 1-46 determination is less than $100,000, Section 502.2733, 1-47 Transportation Code, as added by this Act, expires January 1, 2004. 1-48 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-49 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-50 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-51 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-52 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-53 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-54 * * * * *