By:  Solomons (Senate Sponsor - West)                             H.B. No. 148
	(In the Senate - Received from the House March 31, 2003; 
April 3, 2003, read first time and referred to Committee on 
International Relations and Trade; May 19, 2003, reported 
favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 19, 2003, sent 
to printer.)


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT


relating to the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, or possession 
of a counterfeit disabled parking placard; providing penalties.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Chapter 681, Transportation Code, is amended by 
adding Section 681.0111 to read as follows:
	Sec. 681.0111.  MANUFACTURE, SALE, POSSESSION, OR USE OF 
COUNTERFEIT PLACARD.  (a)  A person commits an offense if, without 
the department's authorization, the person manufactures, sells, or 
possesses a placard that is deceptively similar to a disabled 
parking placard.
	(b)  A person commits an offense if the person knowingly 
parks a vehicle displaying a counterfeit placard in a parking space 
or area designated specifically for persons with disabilities.
	(c)  An offense under Subsection (a) is a Class A 
misdemeanor. An offense under Subsection (b) is a Class C 
misdemeanor.
	(d)  For purposes of this section, a placard is deceptively 
similar to a disabled parking placard if the placard is not a 
genuine disabled parking placard but a reasonable person would 
presume that it is a genuine disabled parking placard.
	SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only 
to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. 
An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is 
covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the 
former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For the purposes 
of this section, an offense was committed before the effective date 
of this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.                           



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