C.S.H.B. 623 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 623 By: Goolsby Transportation Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE H.B. 623 78(R) Section 520 Subchapter E of the Transportation Code allows a tax office in a county with a population over 2.8 million to regulate motor vehicle title services. A motor vehicle title service is any person who for compensation directly or indirectly assists other persons in obtaining title documents by submitting, transmitting, or sending applications for title documents to the appropriate government agencies. Regulation of these services in counties with high volume vehicle registration has proven helpful in preventing fraud. The purpose of this legislation is to expand the applicability of Subchapter E to counties over 500,000 in population. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS Section 1: Changes the applicability population in Section 520.052 Transportation Code from 2.8 million to 500,000. Section 2: Makes the license requirement for vehicle title services in the adjusted population bracket not required until October 1, 2003. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2003 COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The substitute differs from the original bill in that the original bill referred to a city with a population of 2.8 million or less, and the substitute refers to a county with a population of 2.8 million or less. (SECTION 2)