By: Alvarado  S.B. No. 1064
         (In the Senate - Filed March 5, 2021; March 18, 2021, read
  first time and referred to Committee on Transportation;
  April 12, 2021, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
  Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 12, 2021,
  sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1064 By:  Alvarado
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the extended registration of certain county fleet
  vehicles.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,
  is amended by adding Section 502.0025 to read as follows:
         Sec. 502.0025.  EXTENDED REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN COUNTY
  FLEET VEHICLES. (a) In this section, "exempt county fleet" means a
  group of two or more nonapportioned motor vehicles, semitrailers,
  or trailers described by Section 502.453(a) that is owned by and
  used exclusively in the service of a county with a population of 3.3
  million or more.
         (b)  Notwithstanding the annual registration requirements of
  Sections 502.044(c) and 502.453(a), the department shall develop
  and implement a system of registration to allow an owner of an
  exempt county fleet to register vehicles in the fleet for an
  extended registration period of not less than one year or more than
  eight years.
         (c)  A system of extended registration under this section
  must allow the owner of an exempt county fleet to:
               (1)  select the number of years for registration under
  this section;
               (2)  register the entire fleet in the county of the
  owner's principal place of business;
               (3)  register the motor vehicles in the fleet that are
  operated most regularly in the same county; or
               (4)  register the entire fleet directly with the
  department.
         (d)  A motor vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer registered
  under this section is subject to the inspection requirements of
  Chapter 548 as if the vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer were
  registered without an extended registration period.
         (e)  The department shall adopt rules to implement this
  section, including rules:
               (1)  regarding the suspension of an exempt county
  fleet's registration under this section if the owner of the exempt
  county fleet fails to comply with this section or rules adopted
  under this section; and
               (2)  establishing a method to enforce the inspection
  requirements of Chapter 548 for motor vehicles, semitrailers, and
  trailers registered under this section.
         SECTION 2.  Section 502.453, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 502.453.  GOVERNMENT-OWNED VEHICLES; PUBLIC SCHOOL
  BUSES; FIRE-FIGHTING VEHICLES; COUNTY MARINE LAW ENFORCEMENT
  VEHICLES; U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY VEHICLES. (a) The owner of a
  motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer may [annually] apply for
  registration under Section 502.0025 or 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;
                     (C)  a county, municipality, or school district in
  this state; or
                     (D)  an open-enrollment charter school;
               (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.
         (b)  An application for registration under this section or
  Section 502.0025 must be made by a person having the authority to
  certify that the vehicle meets the exemption requirements
  prescribed by Subsection (a). An application for registration
  under this section of a fire-fighting vehicle described by
  Subsection (a)(3) must include a reasonable description of the
  vehicle and of any fire-fighting equipment mounted on the vehicle.
  An application for registration under this section of a vehicle
  described by Subsection (a)(5) must include a statement signed by a
  person having the authority to act for a sheriff's department that
  the vehicle is used exclusively in marine law enforcement
  activities under the direction of the sheriff's department. An
  application for registration under this section of a vehicle
  described by Subsection (a)(7) must include a statement signed by a
  person having authority to act for the United States Coast Guard
  Auxiliary that the vehicle or trailer is used exclusively in
  fulfillment of an authorized mission of the United States Coast
  Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary, including search and rescue,
  patrol, emergency communications, or disaster operations.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
 
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