BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	H.B. 1778
88R7387 DIO-D	By: Hinojosa et al. (Alvarado)
	Transportation
	5/15/2023
	Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) may issue specialty license plates for a variety of professional sports teams in Texas including teams from the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Missing from this list are teams in Major League Soccer (MLS). Texas has three MLS teams: Dallas FC, Houston Dynamo FC, and Austin FC. A growing number of Texans have asked for the opportunity to express their team pride through specialty license plates. H.B. 1778 facilitates this request by authorizing TxDMV to issue specialty license plates bearing the name and insignia of professional sports teams that play in a stadium either constructed or owned in part by a public entity.

 

H.B. 1778 amends current law relating to the issuance of specialty license plates to certain professional sports teams.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 504.614(a), Transportation Code, as follows:

 

(a) Authorizes a license plate to be issued under Section 504.614 (Professional Sports Team License Plates) only for a professional sports team that:

 

(1) makes no changes to this subdivision; and

 

(2) plays its home games in a facility:

 

(A) creates this paragraph from existing text; or

 

(B)  owned, in whole or in part, by a public entity.

 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 504.614(c)(2), Transportation Code, as follows:

 

(2) Provides that "professional sports team" means a sports team that is a member or an affiliate of a member of the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, or a major league baseball team. Makes a nonsubstantive change.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2023.