BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 229

By: Cortez

Transportation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

C.S.H.B. 229 provides for the issuance of specialty license plates to Central Catholic High School students and alumni. The license plates must include the words "With Loyal Hearts" on the bottom of each plate and the logo of Central Catholic High School on the left side of each plate. The Texas Department of Transportation would design the plate in consultation with a representative of Central Catholic High School in San Antonio.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 229 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to issue specialty license plates designed in consultation with a representative of Central Catholic High School in San Antonio that include the words "With Loyal Hearts" on the bottom of each plate and the logo of Central Catholic High School on the left side. The bill requires the remainder of the fee for issuance of the license plates, after deduction of TxDMV administrative costs, to be deposited to the credit of the general revenue fund.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 229 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

Whereas the introduced required the remainder of the fee for issuance of the license plates after administrative cost deduction to be deposited to the credit of an account created by the comptroller of public accounts outside the general revenue fund and restricted its use to Texas Education Agency grants to nonprofit organizations for purposes of providing education services, the substitute requires the remainder of the fee after that deduction to be deposited to the credit of the general revenue fund and does not include any such restriction on its use.