The bill would amend Subchapter G, Chapter 504 of the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to issue K9s4KIDs specialty license plates. The bill would stipulate that the fee for issuance of the plates, after deduction for TxDMV administrative costs, is to be deposited to the General Revenue Fund and may only be used by the Office of the Governor (OOG) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to fund the purchase of police dogs by a public or private primary or secondary school or by an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education. The bill would take effect on September 1, 2023.
Note: This legislation would do one or more of the following: create or recreate a dedicated account in the General Revenue Fund, create or recreate a special or trust fund either in, with, or outside the Treasury, or create a dedicated revenue source. The fund, account, or revenue dedication included in this bill would be subject to funds consolidation review by the current Legislature.
Based on information provided by TxDMV, OOG, Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, it is assumed any costs or duties associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within existing resources. The fee for issuance of a specialty license plate under Subchapter G, Chapter 504 of the Transportation Code is $30.00. Out of this amount $7.50 would be deposited to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Fund for TxDMV administrative costs, $0.50 would be retained by the counties for administrative costs, and the remaining $22.00 would be deposited to the General Revenue Fund for use by OOG as authorized by the bill. Based on the information and analysis provided by TxDMV and the Comptroller's office, it is assumed the issuance of the new specialty plate would not result in a significant fiscal impact to the State.
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.