By: Giddings, Guillen (Senate Sponsor - Menéndez) H.B. No. 473
         (In the Senate - Received from the House May 4, 2015;
  May 5, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
  Justice; May 13, 2015, reported favorably by the following vote:  
  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 13, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to a prohibition on the sale or transfer of certain law
  enforcement vehicles before removal of certain equipment and
  insignia.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 2175, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 2175.908 to read as follows:
         Sec. 2175.908.  SALE OR TRANSFER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLE.
  (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the commission or another
  state agency, including an agency delegated the authority to
  dispose of surplus or salvage property under Section 2175.065, may
  not sell or transfer a marked patrol car or other law enforcement
  motor vehicle to the public unless the state agency first removes
  any equipment or insignia that could mislead a reasonable person to
  believe that the vehicle is a law enforcement motor vehicle,
  including any police light, siren, amber warning light, spotlight,
  grill light, antenna, emblem, outline of an emblem, and emergency
  vehicle equipment.
         (b)  The commission or another state agency, including an
  agency delegated the authority to dispose of surplus or salvage
  property under Section 2175.065, may not sell or transfer a marked
  patrol car or other law enforcement motor vehicle to a security
  services contractor who is regulated by the Department of Public
  Safety and licensed under Chapter 1702, Occupations Code, unless
  each emblem or insignia that identifies the vehicle as a law
  enforcement motor vehicle is removed before the sale or transfer.
         SECTION 2.  Section 2175.304, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:
         (f)  Section 2175.908 applies to a university system or
  institution or agency of higher education included within the
  definition of "state agency" under Section 2151.002.
         SECTION 3.  Chapter 272, Local Government Code, is amended
  by adding Section 272.006 to read as follows:
         Sec. 272.006.  SALE OR TRANSFER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLE.
  (a) In this section, "political subdivision" means a county,
  municipality, school district, junior college district, other
  special district, or other subdivision of state government.
         (b)  A political subdivision may not sell or transfer a
  marked patrol car or other law enforcement motor vehicle to the
  public unless the political subdivision first removes any equipment
  or insignia that could mislead a reasonable person to believe that
  the vehicle is a law enforcement motor vehicle, including any
  police light, siren, amber warning light, spotlight, grill light,
  antenna, emblem, outline of an emblem, or emergency vehicle
  equipment.
         (c)  A political subdivision may not sell or transfer a
  marked patrol car or other political subdivision law enforcement
  motor vehicle to a security services contractor who is regulated by
  the Department of Public Safety and licensed under Chapter 1702,
  Occupations Code, unless each emblem or insignia that identifies
  the vehicle as a law enforcement motor vehicle is removed before the
  sale or transfer.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
 
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