SRC-AMY S.B. 434 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 434 78R2251 MTB-DBy: Nelson Infrastructure Development and Security 3/4/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently, specialty license plates offer Texas citizens the opportunity to support the causes of their choice, with the revenue generated from the sale of the plates defraying the costs incurred by the specialty license plate program. There is a desire to support the Texas Forest Service's community forestry efforts through the sale of specially designed license plates. As proposed, S.B. 434 requires the Texas Department of Transportation to issue specialty license plates, designed in consultation with the Texas Forest Service, to benefit urban and community tree planting, preservation, and education projects. 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 502F, Transportation Code, by adding Section 502.2737, as follows: Sec. 502.2737. URBAN FORESTRY LICENSE PLATES. (a) Requires the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to issue specially designed license plates for passenger cars and light trucks. (b) Requires TxDOT to design the license plates in consultation with any organization described in Subsection (d). (c) Requires TxDOT to issue these license plates to a person who applies to his or her county's assessor-collector and pays the required additional fee. (d) Requires that $8 from the additional fee be used to administer the program, and deposit the remainder in the urban forestry account in the state treasury. Authorizes the Texas Forest Service to use that money in making grants to support a Texas nonprofit organization primarily sponsoring tree planting, preservation, and education projects. (e) Requires the owner of the license plate to return it to TxDOT upon disposal of the vehicle, if it is within a registration year. SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2003.