By:  Woolley                                                      H.B. No. 3020



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the issuance of God Bless Texas and God Bless America 
special license plates.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, 
is amended by adding Section 502.310 to read as follows:
	Sec. 502.310.  GOD BLESS TEXAS AND GOD BLESS AMERICA LICENSE 
PLATES.  (a)  The department shall issue specially designed God 
Bless Texas and God Bless America license plates for passenger cars 
and light trucks.
	(b)  The license plate must include the words "God Bless 
Texas" or "God Bless America."
	(c)  The department shall issue license plates under this 
section to a person who:
		(1)  applies to the county assessor-collector of the 
county in which the person resides on a form provided by the 
department; and
		(2)  pays an annual fee of $40 in addition to the fee 
prescribed by Section 502.161 and, if personalized prestige license 
plates are issued, in addition to the fee prescribed by Section 
502.251.
	(d)  Of each fee collected under Subsection (c):                        
		(1)  $32 shall be deposited to the credit of the state 
highway fund and may only be used by the department for the Safe 
Routes to School Program under Section 201.614; and
		(2)  $8 shall be deposited to the credit of the state 
highway fund to defray the department's expenses in administering 
this section.
	(e)  If the license plates issued under this section are 
lost, stolen, or mutilated, the owner of the vehicle for which the 
plates were issued may obtain replacement plates from the 
department by paying the replacement fee prescribed by Section 
502.184(a)(2).
	(f)  If the owner of a vehicle registered under this section 
disposes of the vehicle during the registration year, the owner 
shall return the special license plates to the department.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.