82R8082 JXC-D
 
  By: Chisum H.B. No. 2639
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to motor vehicle inspections that employ remote sensing
  equipment.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter G, Chapter 382, Health and Safety
  Code, is amended by adding Section 382.2041 to read as follows:
         Sec. 382.2041.  CLEAN SCREEN PROGRAM COMPONENT. (a)  In this
  section:
               (1)  "Clean screen remote sensing equipment" means
  on-road remote automatic emissions detection and analysis
  equipment used to determine whether a vehicle complies with
  applicable on-road emissions standards under Subchapter F, Chapter
  548, Transportation Code.
               (2)  "Clean screen program component" means a component
  of the vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance program under
  Subchapter F, Chapter 548, Transportation Code, that allows a motor
  vehicle to meet applicable emissions-related inspection
  requirements if the vehicle is inspected by clean screen remote
  sensing equipment and is determined to be in compliance with
  applicable emissions standards.
               (3)  "Inspection station" has the meaning assigned by
  Section 548.001, Transportation Code.
         (b)  The commission, the Public Safety Commission, and the
  Texas Department of Motor Vehicles on their own initiative may
  jointly develop and implement a clean screen program component in a
  county designated as a nonattainment area within the meaning of
  Section 107(d) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. Section 7407) and its
  subsequent amendments, in any affected county, or in any county
  adjacent to an affected county.
         (c)  A county, a regional council of governments, as defined
  by Section 384.001(5), a regional planning commission organized
  under Chapter 391, Local Government Code, a metropolitan planning
  organization, as defined by Section 472.031, Transportation Code,
  or another organization designated by the commission to develop air
  quality plans may submit a written request to the commission to
  establish a clean screen program component in a county described by
  Subsection (b) that is under the jurisdiction of the county,
  council, commission, or organization that submitted the request.
  The commission, the Public Safety Commission, and the Texas
  Department of Motor Vehicles jointly may develop and implement a
  clean screen program component in a county that is the subject of
  the request and shall implement a program component developed under
  this subsection not later than 24 months after the date the
  commission receives the request.
         (d)  A clean screen program component established under this
  section must apply only to passenger vehicles and light trucks not
  subject to inspection under Subchapter D, Chapter 548,
  Transportation Code.
         (e)  The clean screen program component described by this
  section:
               (1)  must include procedures to:
                     (A)  identify a vehicle that is in compliance with
  applicable on-road emissions standards established by the
  commission;
                     (B)  allow the registered owner of a vehicle
  described by Paragraph (A) to pay the fee described by Subsection
  (f) instead of:
                           (i)  obtaining an emissions-related
  inspection certificate at an inspection station; and
                           (ii)  paying a fee required by Subchapter H,
  Chapter 548, Transportation Code, for an emissions-related
  inspection; and
                     (C)  provide written notice of the clean screen
  program component inspection and fee process to the registered
  owner of a vehicle:
                           (i)  during the registration process under
  Section 502.002, Transportation Code; or
                           (ii)  by mailing notice to motor vehicle
  owners; and
               (2)  may include procedures to allow the registered
  owner of a vehicle that is identified under the clean screen program
  component as being in compliance with applicable emissions
  standards to pay the fee described by Subsection (g) instead of:
                     (A)  obtaining a vehicle safety inspection
  certificate under Subchapters B and C, Chapter 548, Transportation
  Code, at an inspection station; and
                     (B)  paying a fee required by Subchapter H,
  Chapter 548, Transportation Code, for a vehicle safety inspection.
         (f)  The commission shall assess a clean screen inspection
  fee payable by and at the option of the registered owner of a
  vehicle that clean screen remote sensing equipment identifies as
  being in compliance with applicable on-road emissions standards.
  The fee must be in an amount:
               (1)  reasonably necessary to recover the costs of
  developing, administering, implementing, evaluating, and enforcing
  the clean screen program component; and
               (2)  not less than the sum of the fees that would be
  required for an emissions-related inspection conducted at an
  inspection station.
         (g)  If the commission adopts procedures under Subsection
  (e)(2), the commission shall assess a clean screen convenience fee
  payable by and at the option of the registered owner of a vehicle
  that clean screen remote sensing equipment identifies as being in
  compliance with applicable emissions standards. The fee must be in
  an amount not less than the sum of the fees that would be required
  for a vehicle safety inspection conducted at an inspection station.
         (h)  If the clean screen program component relies on
  privately operated or contractor-operated clean screen remote
  sensing equipment, the commission by rule shall authorize the
  private operator or contractor to retain an appropriate portion of
  fees assessed under Subsection (f) to recover the operator's cost
  of performing the inspection and provide the operator a reasonable
  margin of profit.
         (i)  The commission may stipulate in a contract for
  conducting clean screen remote sensing equipment inspections that
  the person contracted with must reimburse the commission for the
  cost of computer programming activities or hardware acquisitions
  required to accomodate use of the clean screen program component.
         (j)  Any portion of a fee collected by the commission under
  Subsection (f) or (g) must be used for the same purpose the fee
  would have been used for if collected under Subchapter H, Chapter
  548, Transportation Code.
         (k)  A county that voluntarily participates in a clean screen
  program component established under this section is eligible for
  incentives established under Section 382.216.
         SECTION 2.  Section 382.302(b), Health and Safety Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  After approving a request made under Subsection (a), the
  commission by resolution may request the Public Safety Commission
  to establish motor vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance
  program requirements for the participating county under Subchapter
  F, Chapter 548, Transportation Code, in accordance with this
  section and rules adopted under this section. The motor vehicle
  emissions inspection and maintenance program requirements for the
  participating county may include exhaust emissions testing,
  emissions control devices, [and] systems inspections, a remote
  sensing program component as provided by Section 382.204, a clean
  screen program component as provided by Section 382.2041, or other
  testing methods that meet or exceed United States Environmental
  Protection Agency requirements[, and a remote sensing component as
  provided by Section 382.204]. The motor vehicle emissions
  inspection and maintenance program requirements adopted for the
  participating county may apply to all or to a defined subset of
  vehicles described by Section 382.203.  If the commission
  implements a clean screen program component under Section 382.2041,
  the Public Safety Commission and the Texas Department of Motor
  Vehicles may modify the motor vehicle emissions inspection and
  maintenance program inspection process to accommodate elements of
  the clean screen program component.
         SECTION 3.  Section 548.052, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 548.052.  VEHICLES NOT SUBJECT TO INSPECTION. This
  chapter does not apply to:
               (1)  a trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or mobile
  home moving under or bearing a current factory-delivery license
  plate or current in-transit license plate;
               (2)  a vehicle moving under or bearing a paper dealer
  in-transit tag, machinery license, disaster license, parade
  license, prorate tab, one-trip permit, antique license, temporary
  24-hour permit, or permit license;
               (3)  a trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or mobile
  home having an actual gross weight or registered gross weight of
  4,500 pounds or less;
               (4)  farm machinery, road-building equipment, a farm
  trailer, or a vehicle required to display a slow-moving-vehicle
  emblem under Section 547.703;
               (5)  a former military vehicle, as defined by Section
  504.502 [502.275];
               (6)  a vehicle qualified for a tax exemption under
  Section 152.092, Tax Code; [or]
               (7)  a vehicle for which a certificate of title has been
  issued but that is not required to be registered; or
               (8)  a vehicle for which the registered owner has
  satisfied the requirements of Section 382.2041(e)(2), Health and
  Safety Code, if the conservation commission adopts procedures under
  Section 382.2041(e)(2), Health and Safety Code.
         SECTION 4.  Section 548.251, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 548.251.  DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE INSPECTION
  CERTIFICATES AND VERIFICATION FORMS. (a) The department shall
  provide serially numbered inspection certificates and verification
  forms to inspection stations. The department may issue a unique
  inspection certificate for:
               (1)  a commercial motor vehicle inspected under Section
  548.201; or
               (2)  a vehicle inspected under Subchapter F.
         (b)  Any provision in Subchapter E, F, or G that requires an
  inspection certificate to be issued only by an inspection station
  does not apply to a certificate issued for an inspection conducted
  under the clean screen program component described by Section
  382.2041, Health and Safety Code. If the conservation commission
  establishes a clean screen program component under Section
  382.2041, Health and Safety Code, the commission and the department
  may develop a system to issue an inspection certificate under the
  clean screen program component without requiring that an inspection
  station issue the inspection certificate.
         SECTION 5.  Section 548.301(d), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (d)  A vehicle emissions inspection under this section may be
  performed by:
               (1)  the same facility that performs a safety
  inspection if the facility is authorized and certified by the
  department to perform the vehicle emissions inspection and
  certified by the department to perform the safety inspection; or
               (2)  clean screen remote sensing equipment as defined
  by Section 382.2041, Health and Safety Code, if the conservation
  commission establishes a clean screen program component under that
  section.
         SECTION 6.  Section 548.306(j), Transportation Code, is
  repealed.
         SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.