BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.H.B. 191
Transportation & Homeland Security
Committee Report (Substituted)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, Texas issues specialty license plates for current or former members of the military, as well as military medal recipients. However, there is no conformity between the amounts charged for issuance or renewal of such plates among the many different types of plates.
C.S.H.B. 191 brackets the many types of military license plates into three categories, and makes each category uniform regarding charges for the license plates.
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 Sections 502.184(b), (c), and (d), Transportation Code, as follows:
(b) Provides that no fee is required for the replacement of lost, stolen, or mutilated specialized license plates issued under Sections 504.308 and 504.315(e) and (f). Deletes the fees for replacement of certain specialized license plates issued under Section 504.202, Section 504.315(c) or (e), and Section 504.305.
(c) Updates a reference to Section 502.280 to refer to Section 504.507.
(d) Updates a reference to Section 502.274(b) to refer to 504.501(b) or 504.502(c) and a reference to Section 502.274 to refer to 504.501 or 504.502, respectively. Provides that the fee for approval of replacement license plates is $5.
SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 504, Transportation Code, by adding Section 504.3015 as follows:
Sec. 504.3015. FEES FOR MILITARY SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES. (a) Requires a person applying for a set of license plates under this subchapter to pay the registration fee required under Chapter 502 (Registration of Vehicles) and the applicable special plate fee required under this section, except that one set of license plates is required to be issued under Section 504.308 (Distinguished Flying Cross Medal Recipients) or 504.315 (Military Specialty License Plates for Extraordinary Service) without the payment of the registration fee.
(b) Provides that the fee for the issuance of one set of specialty license plates issued under Sections 504.315(c), (d), or (g) (to a recipient of a Congressional Medal of Honor awarded under Title 10, United States Code ) is $3 and that there is no additional fee for a specialty license plate issued under another provision of this subchapter (Provisions Generally Applicable to Military Specialty License Plates).
(c) Requires a surviving spouse applying for a set of license plates under Section 504.302 (Surviving Spouses of Certain Military Veterans) to pay the fees required for the type of license plate for which the surviving spouse is eligible.
SECTION 3. Amends Section 504.305(a), Transportation Code, to delete existing text requiring the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to issue without charge specialty license plates for certain military members set forth in this subsection.
SECTION 4. Amends Section 504.306, Transportation Code, to delete existing text authorizing a person to be issued only one set of license plates under this section and providing that the fee for issuance of the license plates is $10.
SECTION 5. Amends Section 504.309, Transportation Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 6. Amends Section 504.310, Transportation Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 7. Amends Section 504.311, Transportation Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 8. Amends Section 504.312(a), Transportation Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 9. Amends Section 504.313, Transportation Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 10. Amends Section 504.3135, Transportation Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 11. Amends Section 504.314, Transportation Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 12. Amends Section 504.315, Transportation Code, by adding Subsection (h) to require a vehicle registered under this section to be for the use of the applicant who qualifies under this section.
SECTION 13. Repealer: Sections 504.303(b) (regarding the fees for license plates for members or former members of the United States Armed Forces), 504.304(c) (regarding the fees for license plates for members of the United States Armed Forces auxiliaries), 504.307(c) (regarding the fees for license plates for airborne parachutists), 504.308(b) (regarding the fee for license plates for Distinguished Flying Cross Recipients), and 504.315(a) and (b) (authorizing a person entitled to specialty license plates due to extraordinary military service to register one vehicle without payment of any fee paid for or at the time of registration except the fee for the license plates and regarding the amount of license plate fees), Transportation Code.
SECTION 14. Provides that this Act is intended to provide consistency and uniformity in the amounts charged for the issuance of specialty plates to members and former members of the United States armed forces or surviving spouses. Provides that, to the extent this Act is inconsistent with a fee charged for the issuance of a similar specialty plate under a provision added to Subchapter D, Chapter 504, Transportation Code, by another Act of the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, this Act controls.
SECTION 15. Effective date: September 1, 2007.