Amend HB 897 (engrossed version) as follows:

(1)  In the recital to SECTION 1 of the bill (page 1, line 6), strike "Section 152.001(12), Tax Code, is" and substitute "Sections 152.001(7) and (12), Tax Code, are".

(2)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, immediately before amended Section 152.001(12), Tax Code (page 1, between lines 7 and 8), insert the following:

(7)  "Public agency" means:

(A)  a department, commission, board, office, institution, or other agency of this state or of a county, city, town, school district, hospital district, water district, or other special district or authority or political subdivision created by or under the constitution or the statutes of this state; [or]

(B)  an unincorporated agency or instrumentality of the United States; or

(C)  an open-enrollment charter school.

(3)  Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumber the SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  Section 502.453(a), Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a)  The owner of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer may annually apply for registration under Section 502.451 and is exempt from the payment of a registration fee under this chapter if the vehicle is:

(1)  owned by and used exclusively in the service of:

(A)  the United States;

(B)  this state; [or]

(C)  a county, municipality, or school district in this state; or

(2)  owned by a commercial transportation company and used exclusively to provide public school transportation services to a school district under Section 34.008, Education Code;

(3)  designed and used exclusively for fire fighting;

(4)  owned by a volunteer fire department and used exclusively in the conduct of department business;

(5)  privately owned and used by a volunteer exclusively in county marine law enforcement activities, including rescue operations, under the direction of the sheriff's department;

(6)  used by law enforcement under an alias for covert criminal investigations; or

(7)  owned by units of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary headquartered in Texas and used exclusively for conduct of United States Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary business and operations, including search and rescue, emergency communications, and disaster operations.