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.