SRC-AMY S.B. 908 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 908
78R7134 JTS-DBy: Lindsay
Infrastructure Development and Security
3/19/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, there is not a license plate designed specifically for the
Texas Blood Center.  Such a license plate would encourage blood donations.
As proposed, S.B. 908 establishes a Be A Blood Donor account in the
general revenue fund, and a Be A Blood Donor special license plate
program. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted  to the Texas Board of Health in
SECTION 1 (Section 162.016, Health and Safety Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 162, Health and Safety Code, by adding Sections
162.016 and 162.017, as follows: 

Sec. 162.016.  BE A BLOOD DONOR ACCOUNT.  (a) Provides that the be a blood
donor account is a separate account in the general revenue fund composed
of certain funds. 

(b)  Provides that the Texas Department of Health (TDH) administers the
account and authorizes TDH to spend money credited to the account for
certain programs, nonprofit blood centers, and to defray the cost of
administering the account. 

(c) Authorizes the Texas Board of Health (board) to accept gifts, grants,
and donations from any source for the benefit of the account, and requires
the board to establish guidelines for spending account funds. 

Sec. 162.017.  BE A BLOOD DONOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE.  (a) Requires the
commissioner of public health (commissioner) to appoint a five-member
advisory committee (committee) composed of certain persons. 

(b) Requires the commissioner to designate a presiding officer of the
committee. 

(c) Requires the committee to perform certain duties.

(d) Provides that members of the committee serve without compensation or
reimbursement for expenses, and serve staggered four-year terms, with as
near to onehalf of the terms as possible expiring on January 31 of each
even-numbered year. 

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

Sec. 502.304.  "BE A BLOOD DONOR" LICENSE PLATES.   (a) Requires the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to issue "Be A Blood Donor" license
plates for passenger cars and light trucks. 

 (b) Requires TxDOT to design the license plates in consultation with the
Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center in Houston. 

(c) Requires TxDOT to issue the license plates to persons who meet certain
criteria. 

(d) Requires that $8 of the fee collected under Subsection (c) be used to
defray the cost of administering this section and the rest to be deposited
in the be a blood donor account in the state treasury.  

(e)  Requires the vehicle owner to return the license plates to TxDOT upon
disposal of the vehicle during a registration year. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 2003.