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By:  Lindsay                                                      S.B. No. 125

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the display of a license plate on a motor vehicle. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section 502.409, Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) A person commits an offense if the person attaches to or displays on a motor vehicle a number plate or registration insignia that: (1) is assigned to a different motor vehicle; (2) is assigned to the vehicle under any other motor vehicle law other than by the department; (3) is assigned for a registration period other than the registration period in effect; (4) is fictitious; (5) has letters, numbers, or other identification marks that because of blurring or reflective matter are not plainly visible at all times during daylight; (6) has an attached illuminated device or sticker, decal, emblem, or other insignia that is not authorized by law and that interferes with the readability of the letters or numbers on the plate or the name of the state in which the vehicle is registered; or (7) has a coating, covering, or protective material that: (A) distorts angular visibility or detectability; or (B) alters or obscures the letters or numbers on the plate or[,] the color of the plate[, or another original design feature of the plate]. SECTION 2. Section 548.051, Transportation Code, is amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a [A] motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or mobile home, registered in this state, must have the following items inspected at an inspection station or by an inspector: (1) tires; (2) wheel assembly; (3) safety guards or flaps, if required by Section 547.606; (4) brake system, including power brake unit; (5) steering system, including power steering; (6) lighting equipment; (7) horns and warning devices; (8) mirrors; (9) windshield wipers; (10) sunscreening devices, unless the vehicle is exempt from sunscreen device restrictions under Section 547.613; (11) front seat belts in vehicles on which seat belt anchorages were part of the manufacturer's original equipment; (12) tax decal, if required by Section 548.104(d)(1); (13) exhaust system; (14) exhaust emission system; (15) fuel tank cap, using pressurized testing equipment approved by department rule; [and] (16) emissions control equipment as designated by department rule; and (17) license plates for compliance with Sections 502.409(a)(5), (6), and (7) as provided by department rule. (c) Subsection (a)(17) does not apply to the initial inspection of: (1) a rebuilt salvage motor vehicle before an application for a regular certificate of title under Section 501.100 is filed; or (2) a motor vehicle before registration under Section 501.0234. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.