By: Miller, Pickett, Leibowitz H.B. No. 191
        (Senate Sponsor - Carona)
         (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 2007;
  May 14, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on
  Transportation and Homeland Security; May 18, 2007, reported
  adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following
  vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 18, 2007, sent to printer.)
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 191 By:  Carona
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to fees for issuance of specialty license plates to
  members and former members of the United States armed forces and
  their surviving spouses.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 502.184(b), (c), and (d),
  Transportation Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (b)  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).  The fee for replacement of certain
  specialized license plates is:
 
License plates issued under: Fee:  
 
[Section 504.202 $1  
 
[Section 504.315(c) or (e) No Fee]  
 
Section [504.305 or] 504.411 $2  
 
Section 504.409 $9  
         (c)  The fee for replacement of license plates issued under
  Section 504.507 [502.280] is the amount prescribed by the
  department as necessary to recover the cost of providing the
  replacement plates.
         (d)  If license plates approved under Section 504.501(b) or
  504.502(c) [502.274(b)] are lost, stolen, or mutilated, the owner
  of the vehicle may obtain approval of another set of license plates
  as provided by Section 504.501 or 504.502, respectively [502.274].
  The fee for approval of replacement license plates is $5.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter D, Chapter 504, Transportation Code,
  is amended by adding Section 504.3015 to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.3015.  FEES FOR MILITARY SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES.
  (a)  A person applying for a set of license plates under this
  subchapter shall pay the registration fee required under Chapter
  502 and the applicable special plate fee required under this
  section, except that one set of license plates shall be issued under
  Section 504.308 or 504.315 without the payment of the registration
  fee.
         (b)  The fee for the issuance of one set of specialty license
  plates issued under Section 504.315(c), (d), or (g) is $3. There is
  no additional fee for a specialty license plate issued under
  another provision of this subchapter.
         (c)  A surviving spouse applying for a set of license plates
  under Section 504.302 shall pay the fees required for the type of
  license plate for which the surviving spouse is eligible.
         SECTION 3.  Section 504.305(a), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The department shall issue [without charge] specialty
  license plates for:
               (1)  active members of the Texas National Guard or
  Texas State Guard;
               (2)  retired members of the Texas National Guard or
  Texas State Guard who have completed 20 or more years of
  satisfactory federal service; and
               (3)  members of a reserve component of the United
  States armed forces.
         SECTION 4.  Section 504.306, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.306.  PERSONS RETIRED FROM SERVICE IN MERCHANT
  MARINE OF THE UNITED STATES.  [(a)]  The department shall issue
  specialty license plates for persons retired from service in the
  merchant marine of the United States. The license plates must
  include the words "Merchant Marine." [A person may be issued only
  one set of license plates under this section.
         [(b)  The fee for issuance of the license plates is $10.]
         SECTION 5.  Section 504.309, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.309.  MILITARY ACADEMY LICENSE PLATES.  The
  department shall issue [without charge] specialty license plates
  for persons who:
               (1)  are graduates of the United States Military
  Academy, the United States Naval Academy, or the United States Air
  Force Academy; and
               (2)  are current or former commissioned officers of the
  United States armed forces.
         SECTION 6.  Section 504.310, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.310.  WORLD WAR II VETERANS.  The department shall
  issue [without charge] specialty license plates for persons who
  served in the United States or Allied armed forces during World War
  II. The license plates must include the words "WWII Veteran."
         SECTION 7.  Section 504.311, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.311.  KOREAN WAR VETERANS. The department shall
  issue [without charge] specialty license plates for persons who
  served in the United States armed forces after June 26, 1950, and
  before February 1, 1955. License plates issued under this section
  must include the words "Korea Veteran."
         SECTION 8.  Section 504.312(a), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The department shall issue [without charge] specialty
  license plates for persons who served in the United States armed
  forces during:
               (1)  the period beginning on February 28, 1961, and
  ending on May 7, 1975, in the case of a veteran who served in the
  Republic of Vietnam during that period; or
               (2)  the period beginning on August 5, 1964, and ending
  on May 7, 1975, in all other cases.
         SECTION 9.  Section 504.313, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.313.  DESERT SHIELD OR DESERT STORM VETERANS.  The
  department shall issue [without charge] specialty license plates
  for persons who served in the United States armed forces after
  August 1, 1990, and before April 12, 1991. License plates issued
  under this section must include the words "Desert Storm."
         SECTION 10.  Section 504.3135, Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.3135.  OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.  The department
  shall issue [without charge] specialty license plates for persons
  who served in the United States armed forces and participated in
  Operation Iraqi Freedom. License plates issued under this section
  must include the words "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
         SECTION 11.  Section 504.314, Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 504.314.  ENDURING FREEDOM VETERANS.  The department
  shall issue [without charge] specialty license plates for persons
  who served in the United States armed services and participated in
  Operation Enduring Freedom. The license plates must include the
  words "Enduring Freedom."
         SECTION 12.  Section 504.315, Transportation Code, is
  amended by adding Subsection (h) to read as follows:
         (h)  A vehicle registered under this section must be for the
  use of the applicant who qualifies under this section.
         SECTION 13.  Sections 504.303(b), 504.304(c), 504.307(c),
  504.308(b), and 504.315(a) and (b), Transportation Code, are
  repealed.
         SECTION 14.  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.  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.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
 
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