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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the establishment of a motor vehicle mileage fee |
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program for certain motor vehicles by the Texas Department of Motor |
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Vehicles; authorizing a fee. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: |
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(1) "Department" means the Texas Department of Motor |
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Vehicles. |
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(2) "Electric motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle |
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that uses electricity as its only source of motor power. |
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(3) "Liquefied fuel motor vehicle" means a motor |
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vehicle that operates on one or any combination of the following: |
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(A) liquefied natural gas; |
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(B) butane; |
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(C) ethane; or |
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(D) propane. |
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SECTION 2. ELECTRIC MOTOR VEHICLE AND LIQUEFIED FUEL MOTOR |
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VEHICLE MILEAGE FEE PROGRAM. (a) The department by rule shall |
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establish and implement a statewide program to assess owners of |
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electric motor vehicles and liquefied fuel motor vehicles a vehicle |
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mileage fee that is based on the number of miles traveled on public |
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roads in this state by those motor vehicles. The program must |
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require all electric motor vehicles and liquefied fuel motor |
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vehicles registered in this state to be subject to the mileage fee. |
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(b) The department shall establish a method to determine |
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vehicle mileage. The method may include, but is not limited to: |
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(1) an odometer reading that will occur in a manner |
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specified by the department; or |
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(2) a device installed in the vehicle that |
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electronically reports the number of miles traveled. |
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(c) The department, in consultation with the Texas |
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Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, and |
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comptroller of public accounts, by rule shall: |
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(1) establish the administrative framework needed to |
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assess an electric motor vehicle and liquefied fuel motor vehicle |
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mileage fee; and |
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(2) set the amount of the electric motor vehicle and |
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liquefied fuel motor vehicle mileage fee on a per mile basis. In |
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determining the amount of the fee, the department shall consider |
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the average amount of gasoline tax paid for a gasoline-powered |
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motor vehicle of a comparable class. |
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(d) The department must establish the administrative |
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framework needed to implement a system for assessing a motor |
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vehicle mileage fee not later than January 1, 2014. The program must |
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begin not later than January 1, 2014. |
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SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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elected to |
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each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |