SRC-JBJ H.B. 811 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.B. 811
By: McReynolds (Shapiro)
State Affairs
5/8/2001
Engrossed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

The Special Olympics is the world's largest program of year-round sports
training and competition for persons with mental retardation and other
developmental disabilities.  H.B. 811 provides for the issuance of a
special license plate, the proceeds from which would go into the Texas
Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Special Olympics Texas
account for the benefit of Special Olympics Texas. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a
state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 533A, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section
533.018, as follows: 

Sec. 533.018.  SPECIAL OLYMPICS TEXAS ACCOUNT.  (a)  Provides that the
Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Special Olympics
Texas account (account) is a separate account in the general revenue fund.
Provides that the account is composed of money deposited to the credit of
the account under Section 502.2922, Transportation Code.  Authorizes money
in the account to be used only for the purposes of this section.  

(b)  Provides that the department administers the account.  Requires the
department to annually distribute the money deposited to the credit of the
account to Special Olympics Texas to be used only to pay for costs
associated with training and with area and regional competitions of the
Special Olympics Texas.  

SECTION 2.  Amends Chapter 502F, Transportation Code, by adding Section
502.2922, as follows: 

Sec. 502.2922.  SPECIAL OLYMPICS TEXAS LICENSE PLATES.  (a)  Requires the
Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) to issue specially designed
license plates for passenger cars and light trucks that bear the words
"Special Olympics Texas." 

(b)  Requires TXDOT to design the license plates in consultation with
Special Olympics Texas. 

  (c)  Requires TXDOT to issue license plates under this section to certain
persons. 

(d)  Requires $5 of each fee collected under Subsection (c)(2) to be used
by TXDOT only to defray the cost of administering this section.  Requires
TXDOT to deposit the remainder of each fee collected to the credit of the
Special Olympics Texas account established by Section 533.018, Health and
Safety Code.  
 
(e)  Authorizes the owner of the vehicle for which the plates were issued,
if the plates issued under this section are lost, stolen, or mutilated, to
obtain replacement plates from TXDOT by paying a replacement fee of $5.  
 
(f)  Requires the owner, if the owner of a vehicle for which license plates
were issued under this section disposes of the vehicle during a
registration year, to return the special license plates to TXDOT.  

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 2001.