BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 784

By: Hughes

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Under current Texas law and Texas Department of Transportation rules, certified volunteer firefighters are issued one set of specialty license plates. Many volunteer firefighters own more than one vehicle and are unable to obtain additional sets of specialty license plates.

C.S.H.B. 784 requires the Texas Department of Transportation to issue specialty license plates for fire protection personnel and allows certified volunteer firefighters and full-time fire protection personnel to be issued up to three sets of specialty license plates.     

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 784 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation to issue specialty license plates for fire protection personnel, a term defined in law as: permanent, full-time law enforcement officers designated as fire and arson investigators by an appropriate local authority; aircraft rescue and fire protection personnel; or permanent, full-time fire department employees who are not support staff persons or other administrative employees and who are assigned duties in one or more functional fire protection categories. The bill specifies that the fee for the issuance of each set of such plates is $4 for volunteer firefighters and $30 for fire protection personnel. The bill increases the number of license plate sets that fire protection personnel or certified volunteer firefighters may be issued from only one set to not more than three sets.    

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 784 differs from the original by specifying that the fee for the issuance of each set of license plates is $4 for volunteer firefighters and $30 for fire protection personnel, whereas the original provides only that the fee for the issuance of each set of license plates is $4.