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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to weight limitations for certain vehicles carrying |
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livestock. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 621.508, Transportation Code, is amended |
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by amending subsection (a) and adding subsection (c) to read as |
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follows: |
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(a) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution of, or an |
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action under Subchapter F for, the offense of operating a vehicle |
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with a single axle weight or tandem axle weight heavier than the |
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axle weight authorized by law that at the time of the offense the |
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vehicle: |
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(1) had a single axle weight or tandem axle weight that |
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was not heavier than the axle weight authorized by law plus 12 |
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percent; |
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(2) was loaded with timber, pulp wood, wood chips, or |
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cotton, [livestock, ] or other agricultural products that are: |
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(A) in their natural state; and |
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(B) being transported from the place of |
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production to the place of first marketing or first processing; and |
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(3) was not being operated on a portion of the national |
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system of interstate and defense highways. |
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(c) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution of, or an |
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action under Subchapter F for, the offense of operating a vehicle |
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with a single axle weight or tandem axle weight heavier than the |
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axle weight authorized by law that at the time of the offense the |
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vehicle: |
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(1) was loaded with livestock products that are: |
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(A) in their natural state; and |
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(B) being transported from the place of |
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production to the place of first marketing or first processing; and |
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(2) was not being operated on a portion of the national |
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system of interstate and defense highways. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |