1-1 By: Barrientos S.B. No. 1358 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 11, 1999; March 15, 1999, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice; 1-4 April 23, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7, 1-5 Nays 0; April 23, 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 for emergency 1-9 medical services personnel. 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 502.298 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 502.298. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL. 1-14 (a) The department shall issue specially designed license plates 1-15 for passenger cars and light trucks owned by emergency medical 1-16 services personnel certified or licensed by the Texas Department of 1-17 Health. 1-18 (b) The license plates shall include the words "Emergency 1-19 Medical Services" and shall display a blue reflective Star of Life. 1-20 (c) A person may apply to the department for registration 1-21 under this section at any time through the county 1-22 assessor-collector of the county in which the person resides. The 1-23 department shall prescribe the form of the application. The 1-24 department shall require the applicant to submit satisfactory proof 1-25 of eligibility under this section. 1-26 (d) The fee for registration under this section and issuance 1-27 of the special plates is the fee otherwise prescribed for the 1-28 vehicle by this chapter plus an additional fee of $4. The county 1-29 assessor-collector shall send the additional fee to the department 1-30 to defray the cost of providing the special license plates. 1-31 (e) Registration under this section is valid for one year. 1-32 (f) A person may register, for the person's own use, only 1-33 one vehicle under this section. 1-34 (g) The owner of a vehicle registered under this section 1-35 shall return the special license plates to the department if the 1-36 owner disposes of the vehicle during the registration year. The 1-37 owner may then register another vehicle under this section. 1-38 (h) If action is taken by the Texas Department of Health 1-39 resulting in loss of the certification or license of the owner of 1-40 the vehicle, the owner shall return the special license plates to 1-41 the department. 1-42 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-43 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-44 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-45 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-46 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-47 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-48 * * * * *