SRC-AMY S.B. 1345 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1345
78R7649 JRJ-FBy: Jackson
Infrastructure Development and Security
3/20/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

The Aviation and Space Foundation of Texas would like to honor the space
shuttle Columbia and its crew.  To this end, the Aviation and Space
Foundation of Texas would like to sponsor a Space Shuttle Columbia license
plate.  This license plate would promote aviation and space in Texas, and
provide revenue for Columbia Crew memorial scholarships.  As proposed,
S.B. 1345 establishes a Space Shuttle Columbia license plate program.  The
bill requires the resulting revenue to defray the administrative costs,
promote aviation and space activities in Texas, and provide Columbia Crew
memorial scholarships to students. 

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
502.300, as follows: 

Sec. 502.300.  SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA LICENSE PLATES.  (a) Requires the
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to issue specially designed
"Space Shuttle Columbia" license plates for passenger cars and light
trucks. 

(b) Requires TxDOT to design the license plates in consultation with the
Aviation and Space Foundation of Texas. 

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

(d) Requires $22 of each fee to be deposited to the credit of the general
revenue fund and used only by the Texas Aerospace Commission, or its
successor agency, to make grants to benefit the Aviation and Space
Foundation of Texas to further aviation and space activities in Texas and
providing Columbia Crew memorial scholarships to students. Requires that
$8 of the fee collected under this section be deposited to the state
highway fund to be used to defray the cost of administering this section. 

(e)  Authorizes a vehicle owner whose license plates have been issued
under this to replace lost, stolen, or mutilated license plates from TxDOT
by paying a $5 replacement fee.  Requires the vehicle owner to return the
license plates to TxDOT upon disposal of the vehicle during a registration
year. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2003.