BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 1735
79R11375 JRJ-F By: Krusee (Wentworth)
Transportation & Homeland Security
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
H.B. 2971, enacted during the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, enabled the Texas Department of Transportation to issue a souvenir version of any specialty license plate. H.B. 2971 states that the $20 fee required of persons wishing to purchase a souvenir license plate be deposited to the state highway fund, and the $40 fee required of persons wishing to purchase a personalized souvenir license plate be deposited $20 to the state highway fund and the remainder to the general revenue fund. However, language was inadvertently left out of the bill which would have allowed a portion of each fee to go to the specialized plate's nonprofit sponsor.
H.B. 1735 amends the existing statute to allow for $10 of each fee to be deposited to the accounts of these organizations.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 504.003, Transportation Code, by amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (e), as follows:
(b) Creates an exception to the requirement that the $20 fee for a single souvenir license plate be deposited to the credit of the state highway fund by requiring, if the souvenir license plate is a replica of a specialty license plate issued under Subchapter G (Specialty License Plates for General Distribution) or I (Development of New Specialty License Plates) for which the fee is deposited to an account other than the state highway fund, $10 of the fee for the souvenir license plate to be deposited to the credit of a designated account and $10 of the fee be deposited to the credit of the state highway fund.
(c) Requires $10 of the $40 fee for a personalized souvenir license plate to be deposited to the credit of the designated account if the souvenir license plate is a replica of a specialty license plate issued under Subchapter G or I for which the fee is deposited to a designated account other than the state highway fund. Makes nonsubstantive changes.
(e) Authorizes a beneficiary of a specialty license plate issued under Subchapter G or I, as designated by the applicable section of those subchapters, to purchase specialty license plates, in boxes of 25, for use or resale by the beneficiary. Requires the beneficiary to pay the required fee per plate, less the amount of the fee that would be deposited to the credit of the designated account.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2005.