SRC-JEC S.B. 299 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 299
77R3966 DWS-DBy: Barrientos
Intergovernmental Relations
2/27/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the owner of a commercial vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer used
by a nonprofit disaster relief organization, such as the Red Cross, may be
exempt from vehicle registration fees.  To gain the benefit of the
exemption, an applicant must provide a statement by the county sheriff that
the vehicle has not been used for any purpose other than emergencies.
Because a sheriff may not have personal knowledge concerning a vehicle,
this provision can be an unnecessary administrative burden.  As proposed,
S.B. 299 eliminates the requirement that the statement be made by the
county sheriff. 

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 Section 502.203(b), Transportation Code, to require an
application for registration under this section to include a statement by
the owner of the vehicle that the vehicle has not been used for any purpose
other than emergencies.  Deletes the requirement that the application
include a statement by the county sheriff that the vehicle was never used
for any purpose other than emergencies. 

SECTION 2.   Effective date: September 1, 2001.
  Makes application of this Act prospective.